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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: track · cold · calf · mouse · kick · club · bark · vault

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. club — for dancing
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. track — a song
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cold — an illness
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bark — to shout
  24. track — a path

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