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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. band — a ring
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. kick — in football
  14. file — a tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stem — to come from
  24. band — a music group

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