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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.

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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: calf · shower · cue · vault · scale · trunk · fork · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. last — finally
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cue — a signal
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. shower — rain
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. shower — to wash
  12. vault — a safe
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cue — a hint
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cue — for pool
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. last — final
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fork — in a road
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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