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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — letters
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spring — the season
  10. march — music
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spell — a short time
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — magic
  20. spring — of water
  21. cue — for pool
  22. vault — a safe
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. march — the month

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