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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.

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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. court — for sport
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. court — of a king
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. court — of law
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bear — the 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