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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rule — government
  9. fine — all right
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. date — the fruit
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bulb — for light

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