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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. net — for catching
  3. file — a document
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mate — to breed
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — after costs
  15. row — a line
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. net — in sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. row — to paddle

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