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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fine — all right
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. calf — of the leg

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