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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 · mate · drill · mine · degree · pound · fan · safe

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. drill — the tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. drill — a practice
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pound — a weight
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. drill — army training
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mate — a partner
  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