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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. court — for sport
  5. fall — the season
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fall — to drop
  9. can — a tin
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fall — to drop
  12. court — of law
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. can — a tin
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. court — of a king
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. date — the fruit
  21. vault — a safe
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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