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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. content — happy
  3. rash — hasty
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mark — a trace
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. game — a match
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. track — a song
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. content — the amount
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rash — a series
  24. mark — a grade

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