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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wind — moving air
  9. club — for golf
  10. content — the amount
  11. squash — the sport
  12. foot — a measure
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wind — moving air
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — a group
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bear — the animal
  19. content — happy
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. club — for dancing
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kick — in football
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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