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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. rush — hurry
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spell — magic
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. arm — part of the body

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