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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. vault — a safe
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ground — crushed
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ground — a position
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. track — a path
  14. file — a document
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. track — a song
  17. ground — the earth
  18. plane — a tool

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