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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.

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: march · staff · degree · bowl · craft · content · calf · mug

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. staff — employees
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. march — music
  5. content — happy
  6. mug — to rob
  7. march — the month
  8. mug — a face
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. march — the month
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. craft — a skill
  16. content — the amount
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. staff — a stick
  22. craft — boats
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mug — a cup

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