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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: pound · date · court · cap · vault · swing

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. cap — of ice
  8. date — the fruit
  9. swing — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. court — for sport
  16. pound — a weight
  17. swing — to play on
  18. date — on the calendar

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