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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. hand — help
  3. ground — a position
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. hand — in cards
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. vault — a safe
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. toast — bread
  18. snap — to click
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. ground — crushed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. calf — a young animal

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