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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. dip — to sink
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. club — for dancing
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. vault — a safe

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