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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rest — what's left
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rest — a break
  13. court — of a king
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. rest — what's left
  17. court — of law
  18. cold — an illness
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. game — a kind of play

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