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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cold — not warm
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. shower — to wash
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pit — in a race
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cell — in biology
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. shower — rain
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. cold — an illness

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