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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. face — part of the head
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. roll — a list
  13. mine — for digging
  14. face — to confront
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ground — crushed
  18. face — to point toward
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. ground — the earth
  21. drill — army training
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. ground — a position
  24. mine — belonging to me

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