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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. content — happy
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. content — the amount
  10. drill — the tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — army training
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mark — a trace
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fan — to cool the air

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