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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. file — a document
  3. sharp — clever
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rash — hasty
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. squash — the sport
  18. file — a tool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rash — a series
  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