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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: pound · trunk · present · vault · pass · bat · last · mark

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — finally
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — there
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. present — the time now

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