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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. field — a subject
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. clip — a video
  6. kick — in football
  7. clip — to cut
  8. land — a country
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. land — to come down
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. clip — for paper
  22. land — ground
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. racket — for tennis

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