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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: bowl · trunk · vault · cue · chair · chest · wind · cell

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wind — moving air
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cue — a signal
  19. vault — a safe
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cue — for pool
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. chest — a box

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