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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — a safe
  3. roll — a list
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. swing — in golf
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. content — happy
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — to play on
  12. staff — a stick
  13. root — of a plant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. root — of a word
  16. staff — employees
  17. date — the fruit
  18. root — the cause
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. swing — music
  21. roll — a cake
  22. content — the amount
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. content — videos and posts

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