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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: bound · trunk · dip · racket · toast · cold · last · vault

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bound — obliged
  3. last — finally
  4. vault — a safe
  5. toast — bread
  6. bound — tied together
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bound — certain
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. last — final
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. last — to go on
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cold — an illness
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cold — not warm
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. dip — to sink

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