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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · trunk · cue · toast · season · pitcher · bark · vault

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cue — for pool
  7. season — of the year
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cue — a signal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. vault — a safe
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. season — in sport
  24. bark — to shout

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