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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: can · court · lash · rush · fan · last · calf · vault

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. last — to go on
  9. vault — a safe
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. last — finally
  14. court — of law
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. can — a tin
  21. rush — hurry
  22. can — a tin
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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