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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. field — a subject
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. field — for sport
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bound — certain
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bound — tied together
  14. field — farmland
  15. mate — to breed
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wake — a trail
  24. racket — for tennis

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