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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. march — music
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bore — to tire
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. march — the month
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — to shout
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bore — gave birth

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