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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: toast · vault · file · face · root · court · trunk · ball

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. court — of a king
  3. file — a document
  4. court — of law
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ball — a great time
  8. root — of a plant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. toast — bread
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. root — the cause
  14. court — for sport
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. vault — a safe
  17. face — to point toward
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. file — a tool
  20. root — of a word
  21. face — to confront
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ball — a dance

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