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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pit — in a race
  4. shower — to wash
  5. hand — help
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. shower — rain
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pit — a hole
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. roll — a cake
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. roll — a list
  15. chair — a leader
  16. net — after costs
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. date — the fruit
  23. net — in sport
  24. chair — to sit on

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