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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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 — of the leg
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — a safe
  5. key — for a lock
  6. land — a country
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rule — government
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. land — ground
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rule — a law
  14. land — to come down
  15. pitch — completely
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. key — in music
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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