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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. vault — a safe
  10. toast — bread
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. season — of the year
  16. date — the fruit
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. season — in sport
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spring — of water

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