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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: tear · vault · squash · file · bay · calf · ball · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. tear — from crying
  3. file — a tool
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ball — a great time
  6. tear — to rip
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. ball — a dance
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. squash — to crush
  12. file — a document
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. vault — a safe
  15. file — a line of people
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. squash — the sport
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. ball — a round shape

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