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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: calf · hide · hand · jam · bulb · key · pop · degree

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. key — the most important part
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. key — for a lock
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pop — soda
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. key — in music
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. degree — temperature
  16. hand — help
  17. degree — an amount
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bulb — for light
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. calf — a young animal

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