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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wind — moving air
  3. board — to get on
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. scale — size or range
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. board — a committee
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. scale — in music
  24. mine — for digging

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