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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.

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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rash — hasty
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a city
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. press — a publisher
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. vault — a safe
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rash — a series
  24. capital — money

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