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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. object — an aim
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. season — in sport
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. foot — a measure
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. clip — for paper
  13. object — to protest
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. object — a thing
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rush — hurry
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. season — of the year
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. nail — for a hammer

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