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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. drill — army training
  4. pound — a weight
  5. club — a group
  6. court — for sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. court — of a king
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. club — for golf
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pass — a permit
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. court — of law
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pound — for dogs

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