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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: game · trunk · vault · press · swing · cabinet · snap · court

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. court — of law
  5. vault — a safe
  6. press — to push
  7. game — a match
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. swing — in golf
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. snap — to click
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. swing — music
  16. court — of a king
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. swing — to play on
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. court — for sport

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