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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: present · pit · staff · vault · race · cell · chest · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. present — a gift
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pit — in a race
  10. chest — a box
  11. staff — employees
  12. race — humankind
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pit — a hole
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. present — there
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cell — in biology
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. staff — employees
  22. present — the time now
  23. race — a contest
  24. staff — a stick

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