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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · vault · trunk · pitch · dip · press · kid · track

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. game — a match
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. vault — a safe
  6. track — to keep track
  7. press — newspapers
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. track — a song
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. game — wild animals
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pitch — completely
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. track — a path

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