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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: sharp · patient · perch · snap · calf · rock · vault · cold

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rock — music
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cold — an illness
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rock — a stone
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. snap — to click
  18. cold — not warm
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. sharp — clever
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. perch — the fish
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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