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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. shower — rain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. scale — size or range
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. vault — a safe
  11. scale — in music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. kick — in football
  20. cold — an illness
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cold — not warm
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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