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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: chest · vault · bowl · shower · present · net · calf · content

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — happy
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. content — the amount
  10. net — in sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. present — the time now
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. present — there
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. present — a gift
  24. shower — to wash

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