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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. vault — a safe
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rush — hurry
  5. game — a match
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rash — hasty
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. tear — to rip
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. fine — all right
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. date — the fruit

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