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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bore — to tire
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. lean — thin
  12. bore — to drill
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. track — a song
  15. cap — of ice
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cap — a lid
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. track — a path

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