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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.

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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. last — to go on
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. tube — a container
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rest — what's left
  11. last — final
  12. land — a country
  13. rest — a break
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tube — the underground
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — finally
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. land — ground
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pop — soda
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pop — music
  24. land — to come down

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