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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. scale — size or range
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. sharp — clever
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. march — music
  15. scale — in music
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. roll — a list
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — rain
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. march — the month
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. roll — a cake

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