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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. date — the fruit
  3. club — a group
  4. staff — a stick
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mine — for digging
  9. staff — employees
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. club — for golf
  12. season — in sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — for dancing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. vault — a safe
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. season — of the year
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. mine — belonging to me

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