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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: date · perch · foot · vault · hand · race · stick · calf

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. vault — a safe
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. perch — the fish
  9. race — a contest
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. race — humankind
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. hand — help
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. date — the fruit
  24. race — the arms race

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