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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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Word bank
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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: cell · vault · date · mate · kid · leaves

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kid — child
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cell — a phone
  5. date — the fruit
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mate — a friend
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mate — a partner
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mate — to breed
  18. vault — a safe

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