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

Word bank: track · cabinet · tear · vault · cap · bat · key · trunk

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. vault — a safe
  6. track — to keep track
  7. tear — from crying
  8. key — for a lock
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bat — the animal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. track — a song
  18. key — the most important part
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — in music
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. track — a path
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. tear — to rip

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