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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. court — of law
  5. march — the month
  6. cell — a phone
  7. vault — a safe
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — music
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. march — the month
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. court — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. court — of a king
  24. cell — in biology

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