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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: vault · calf · fall · face · degree · kid · mouse · cell

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. kid — child
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cell — a phone
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fall — to drop
  14. degree — temperature
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kid — to tease
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. cell — in biology
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mouse — for a computer

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