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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. present — there
  3. fine — high quality
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. object — to protest
  7. capital — a city
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fine — all right
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. capital — money
  15. object — an aim
  16. present — a gift
  17. object — a thing
  18. saw — the tool
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. date — the fruit
  21. shower — to wash
  22. present — the time now
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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