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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. rush — hurry
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cell — a phone
  5. staff — employees
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. present — a gift
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. vault — a safe
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rush — a thrill

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