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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · trunk · mate · object · cold · content · roll · safe

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cold — not warm
  8. content — the amount
  9. roll — a list
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. roll — a cake
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cold — an illness
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. content — happy
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. safe — a strongbox

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