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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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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: pitcher · trunk · cue · last · mouse · vault · chest · lash

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. last — final
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chest — a box
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. cue — a hint

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