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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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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: trunk · straw · roll · mate · vault · field · season · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. field — farmland
  5. mate — a partner
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. field — a subject
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. season — of the year
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. ball — a great time
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. roll — a cake
  17. field — for sport
  18. roll — a list
  19. season — in sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mate — to breed
  24. vault — a safe

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