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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. vault — a safe
  3. club — a group
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — for golf
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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