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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: chair · racket · roll · trunk · bark · swing · capital · vault

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. swing — in golf
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bark — to shout
  21. swing — music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. swing — to play on

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