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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. band — a music group
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. file — a line of people
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. band — a ring
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. file — a document
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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