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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: net · vault · perch · calf · straw · hide · club · face

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. club — a group
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — the fish
  5. face — to confront
  6. vault — a safe
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. club — for dancing
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — after costs
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — part of the head
  13. net — in sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. face — to point toward
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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