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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: hand · mine · season · vault · safe · dip · calf · track

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. track — a path
  3. dip — to sink
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. season — of the year
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. vault — a safe
  10. season — in sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — in cards
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mine — for digging
  20. track — a song
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. track — to keep track
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. safe — a strongbox

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