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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — of a king
  10. vault — a safe
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bear — the animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. file — a document
  16. court — of law
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. file — a tool
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wound — an injury

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