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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. land — ground
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. season — of the year
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. season — in sport
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fine — all right

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