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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mine — for digging
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. sharp — clever
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. scale — in music
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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