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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 protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. calf — a young animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. key — in music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. last — finally
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. vault — a safe
  13. last — final
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. last — to go on
  17. prune — to trim
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rule — a law
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rule — government
  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