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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. spell — magic
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — a short time
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cold — an illness
  15. scale — in music
  16. cold — not warm
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. spell — letters
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. staff — employees
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. can — to be able to
  24. vault — a safe

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