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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cap — a lid
  3. land — to come down
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — a safe
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. cap — of ice
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cap — a hat
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. date — the fruit
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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