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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · dip · tear · pit · last · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pit — in a race
  4. vault — a safe
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. last — final
  8. tear — to rip
  9. last — finally
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. last — to go on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pit — a hole

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