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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. vault — a safe
  3. court — of a king
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. face — part of the head
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bark — to shout
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. court — for sport
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. kick — in football
  17. cold — not warm
  18. tube — the underground
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. face — to confront
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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