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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cell — in biology
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. present — a gift
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. present — the time now
  10. craft — a skill
  11. drill — army training
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. vault — a safe
  14. craft — boats
  15. snap — to click
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — there

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