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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 120 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. vault — a safe
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — part of the head
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. face — to confront
  12. dip — to sink
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chair — a leader
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. hide — animal skin

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