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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. vault — a safe
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wind — moving air
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. club — a group
  12. fork — in a road
  13. last — final
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — for golf
  21. rock — a stone
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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