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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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — music
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. sharp — clever
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fine — high quality
  20. vault — a safe
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. sharp — with an edge

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