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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: tube · wake · foot · cabinet · pass · date · vault · cold

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. tube — a container
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. foot — a measure
  12. tube — the underground
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wake — a trail
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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