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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. face — to confront
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spell — a short time
  8. track — to keep track
  9. board — a committee
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. spell — letters
  13. face — to point toward
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. face — part of the head
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. date — the fruit
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. board — to get on
  22. spell — magic
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. trunk — of a car

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