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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. last — final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. last — finally
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spring — the season
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. firm — steady
  11. track — a song
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — a company
  14. last — to go on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. vault — a safe
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. track — a path
  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