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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. pop — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — an illness
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pop — soda
  17. stem — to come from
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fall — the season
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. content — the amount

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