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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: track · roll · shower · vault · kid · mug · ball · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. vault — a safe
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. kid — child
  11. track — a song
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mug — a face
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. shower — to wash
  17. track — to keep track
  18. shower — rain
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. ball — a dance
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. track — a path
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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