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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · drill · rest · date · court · ruler

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. drill — the tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rest — what's left
  5. court — of a king
  6. rest — a break
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. drill — a practice
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — army training
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling

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