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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. net — after costs
  3. pop — soda
  4. drill — a practice
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — music
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bear — the animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pop — to visit
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. scale — in music

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