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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. row — to paddle
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mine — for digging
  14. band — a music group
  15. ball — a great time
  16. row — a line
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. band — a ring
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fan — to cool the air

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