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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
YesNo
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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: season · pit · field · hand · trunk · staff · safe · vault

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pit — in a race
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. staff — employees
  9. vault — a safe
  10. field — farmland
  11. pit — a hole
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. field — for sport
  16. hand — in cards
  17. field — a subject
  18. staff — employees
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. staff — a stick
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. season — of the year

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