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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. 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 — an arched ceiling
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — child
  5. spring — the season
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. kid — to tease
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. vault — a safe
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. spring — of water
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rash — hasty
  22. court — for sport
  23. rash — a series
  24. 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