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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 120 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 giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. sharp — clever
  4. court — of a king
  5. vault — a safe
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. file — a document
  8. chip — for betting
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. file — a tool
  11. court — for sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. court — of law
  19. drill — army training
  20. chip — to eat
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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