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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: date · vault · hand · nail · field · pit · wind · hide

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pit — a hole
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pit — in a race
  12. field — farmland
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. hand — in cards
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. field — a subject
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hand — help
  24. field — for sport

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