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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: spell · coach · trunk · race · pit · racket · calf · vault

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pit — a hole
  8. spell — letters
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. race — humankind
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pit — in a race
  20. spell — a short time
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spell — magic
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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