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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. object — to protest
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. object — a thing
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. object — an aim
  13. stand — to bear
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. kid — child
  16. last — to go on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. vault — a safe
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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