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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: bark · straw · cue · trunk · racket · dip · chip · vault

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cue — a hint
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cue — a signal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chip — to eat
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bark — to shout
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. dip — to sink
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chip — for betting

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