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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. spell — letters
  7. shower — rain
  8. race — a contest
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. race — humankind
  17. spell — a short time
  18. shower — to wash
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. race — the arms race
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wake — a trail
  24. vault — a safe

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