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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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 — the animal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. file — a tool
  4. vault — a safe
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mate — to breed
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. file — a document
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mate — a friend
  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