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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. row — a line
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. prune — to trim
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. object — to protest
  13. row — to paddle
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. object — a thing
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. lie — an untruth

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