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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · foot · row · present · staff · vault · net · season

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. net — after costs
  5. present — the time now
  6. vault — a safe
  7. staff — employees
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. net — in sport
  14. present — there
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. net — for catching
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. row — a line
  20. staff — employees
  21. foot — a measure
  22. row — to paddle
  23. staff — a stick
  24. season — in 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