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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: vault · trunk · toast · chest · roll · game · spell · snap

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. vault — a safe
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. toast — bread
  5. game — wild animals
  6. roll — a list
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chest — of your body
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. snap — to click
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. spell — magic
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. chest — a box
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. roll — a cake

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