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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. cold — an illness
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. last — final
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. object — an aim
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ball — a great time
  14. last — to go on
  15. pit — a hole
  16. object — to protest
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. last — finally
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. object — a thing
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. wake — a trail
  24. vault — a safe

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