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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. drill — the tool
  3. swing — music
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. vault — a safe
  7. swing — to play on
  8. march — music
  9. swing — in golf
  10. drill — a practice
  11. march — the month
  12. pit — in a race
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. race — the arms race
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. race — a contest
  18. march — the month
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pit — a hole
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. race — humankind
  24. drill — army training

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