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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chair — a leader
  3. land — to come down
  4. pass — a permit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — the fruit
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. vault — a safe
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. land — ground
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. shower — rain
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. land — a country
  24. bear — the animal

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