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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. club — for golf
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. club — for dancing
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. vault — a safe
  17. club — a group
  18. leaves — lets stay

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