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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. last — finally
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kick — in football
  7. last — final
  8. current — of water
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. last — to go on
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. vault — a safe
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. current — happening now
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wax — to grow
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. current — electric
  23. sharp — clever
  24. hand — help

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