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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: arm · wind · pitcher · calf · foot · face · mine · vault

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. foot — a measure
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. face — part of the head
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. face — to confront
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. face — to point toward
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. vault — a safe

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