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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: kick · date · ball · calf · tear · pitcher · vault · kid

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. ball — a dance
  3. tear — from crying
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. tear — to rip
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. date — the fruit
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — child
  18. vault — a safe
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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