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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. staff — employees
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mate — a friend
  6. face — to confront
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mate — to breed
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. object — to protest
  11. staff — a stick
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mate — a partner
  15. staff — employees
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. vault — a safe
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. face — part of the head
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bass — low music

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