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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cue — for pool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. current — electric
  8. rash — a series
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rash — hasty
  12. current — happening now
  13. vault — a safe
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. current — of water
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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