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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. court — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. court — of a king
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. key — for a lock
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cold — not warm
  11. court — of law
  12. key — the most important part
  13. vault — a safe
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cold — an illness
  18. fall — to drop
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fall — the season
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. key — in music

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