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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pound — a weight
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. track — a song
  6. shower — rain
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. cell — a phone
  11. fine — high quality
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. shower — to wash
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fine — all right
  17. cell — in biology
  18. track — a path
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. date — on the calendar

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