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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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468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bear — the animal
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. game — wild animals
  7. date — the fruit
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. kid — child
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bear — to put up with

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