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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: season · swing · temple · track · toast · vault · trunk · cell

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. season — of the year
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. season — in sport
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. swing — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. swing — to play on
  12. track — to keep track
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. swing — in golf
  16. track — a song
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. vault — a safe
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cell — a phone
  23. track — a path
  24. cell — in biology

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