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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: vault · trunk · chair · mouse · leaves · cap · land · kick

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. land — ground
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kick — in football
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cap — a hat
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. land — to come down
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cap — of ice

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