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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. drill — army training
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rash — a series
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rest — a break

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