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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. shower — rain
  4. date — the fruit
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. march — music
  10. tear — to rip
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. march — the month
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bulb — for light
  19. march — the month
  20. tear — from crying
  21. vault — a safe
  22. shower — to wash
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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