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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ground — the earth
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. net — for catching
  9. ball — a great time
  10. mug — a cup
  11. key — in music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mug — to rob
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. key — the most important part
  18. net — after costs
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ground — a position
  21. mug — a face
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. net — in sport

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