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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. scale — in music
  10. shower — rain
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cell — in biology
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. mug — a face
  22. shower — to wash
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chair — to sit on

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