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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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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: bat · calf · kick · vault · tube · bark · game · hide

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. vault — a safe
  6. kick — in football
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tube — a container
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. game — a match
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tube — the underground
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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