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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. vault — a safe
  8. kid — to tease
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. face — part of the head
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — to grow
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. face — to point toward
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. kid — child
  23. face — to confront
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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