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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 124 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — high quality
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. clip — for paper
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. roll — a cake
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. clip — to cut
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. fine — all right
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. clip — a video
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. vault — a safe
  22. branch — a division
  23. roll — a list
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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