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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hand — in cards
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pit — in a race
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hand — help
  17. pit — a hole
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. vault — a safe
  20. game — a match
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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