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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. drill — a practice
  8. net — in sport
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. lean — thin
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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