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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. key — for a lock
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. key — in music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. race — a contest
  9. cold — an illness
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. key — the most important part
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. court — for sport
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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