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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pass — a permit
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. kid — to tease
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. shower — to wash
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pit — in a race
  14. shower — rain
  15. mark — a grade
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kid — child
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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