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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: wake · stick · pit · trunk · chip · game · vault · court

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chip — for betting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. court — of law
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chip — to eat
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. court — of a king
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wake — a trail
  20. vault — a safe
  21. game — a match
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. court — for sport
  24. pit — in a race

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