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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. hand — help
  4. net — after costs
  5. kid — to tease
  6. season — in sport
  7. hand — in cards
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. net — for catching
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. vault — a safe
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — child
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. season — of the year
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. snap — to click
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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