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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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