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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pitch — completely
  6. lean — thin
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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