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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: last · season · dip · chest · mark · vault · calf · rock

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. last — to go on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mark — a trace
  6. chest — a box
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rock — music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. chest — of your body
  13. last — finally
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. vault — a safe
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. last — final
  23. season — of the year
  24. mark — a grade

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