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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitch — completely
  13. net — in sport
  14. last — final
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. last — finally
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. court — of a king
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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