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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: trunk · vault · chair · deal · content · mine · stick · jam

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. vault — a safe
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. content — happy
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — the amount
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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