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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. season — in sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. roll — a list
  8. chest — of your body
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. drill — army training
  14. chest — a box
  15. stock — shares
  16. drill — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. drill — a practice
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chest — of your body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stock — goods
  23. vault — a safe
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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