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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: sharp · current · rash · calf · spell · degree · wound · capital

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — clever
  4. current — happening now
  5. wound — an injury
  6. capital — a city
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. degree — an amount
  15. capital — money
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spell — magic
  19. current — of water
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. current — electric
  24. sharp — with an edge

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