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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. face — part of the head
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. face — to point toward
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. last — final
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chest — of your body
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. toast — bread
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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