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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rest — a break
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mug — to rob
  7. vault — a safe
  8. land — ground
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mug — a face
  11. squash — the sport
  12. game — a match
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bound — certain
  16. land — to come down
  17. game — wild animals
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. land — a country
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rest — what's left
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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