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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: trunk · mate · pitch · safe · rash · charge · cold · vault

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. charge — a price
  4. mate — a friend
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — a safe
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mate — to breed
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pitch — completely
  20. charge — in control
  21. rash — hasty
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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