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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 stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. roll — a cake
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. roll — a list
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bat — the animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mine — for digging
  18. degree — an amount
  19. face — to confront
  20. vault — a safe
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. prune — to trim
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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