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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mark — a trace
  4. season — in sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. season — of the year
  7. vault — a safe
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. shower — rain
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. shower — to wash
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bat — the animal
  24. squash — the sport

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