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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 120 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chest — of your body
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cold — not warm
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — happy
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chest — a box
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. chest — of your body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. content — the amount

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