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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: rush · trunk · chair · stick · vault · hide · cell · pass

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. trunk — of a car
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pass — a permit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cell — a phone
  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