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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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · last · row · degree · content · hide · temple · calf

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. last — to go on
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. degree — from a university
  7. last — finally
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rush — hurry
  11. content — happy
  12. row — a line
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. last — final
  19. degree — an amount
  20. row — to paddle
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — the amount
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. content — videos and posts

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