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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: perch · trunk · plane · vault · track · snap · court · racket

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to click
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. plane — a tool
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. perch — the fish
  12. court — of law
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. track — a song
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — of a king
  18. track — to keep track
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — a path
  24. racket — a loud noise

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