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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. vault — a safe
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pit — in a race
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pit — a hole
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. charge — electricity
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bowl — a football final

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