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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · club · calf · craft · bay · swing · rule · degree

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rule — government
  3. file — a tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. club — for dancing
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. file — a line of people
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. degree — an amount
  13. club — a group
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. swing — to play on
  16. craft — boats
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. file — a document
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rule — a law
  24. club — for golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com