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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to sink
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rash — a series
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. hand — help
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — a safe
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fork — in a road
  24. dip — to dunk

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