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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fall — the season
  24. calf — of the leg

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