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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · ball · kid · pit · mug · season · trunk · vault

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pit — in a race
  4. vault — a safe
  5. swing — to play on
  6. season — of the year
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mug — a cup
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mug — to rob
  12. swing — music
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. season — in sport
  16. ball — a dance
  17. kid — child
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. mug — a face
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. swing — in golf
  24. trunk — of a tree

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