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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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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: date · spring · game · lash · row · court · calf · vault

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. row — to paddle
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spring — a coil
  10. date — the fruit
  11. court — of a king
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spring — the season
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. court — of law
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. court — for sport
  24. game — wild animals

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