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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · safe · date · fine · vault · bass · cap · drill

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fine — all right
  3. date — the fruit
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. shower — rain
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. shower — to wash
  9. drill — army training
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cap — of ice
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — the tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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