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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 · plane · field · nail · toast · cell · roll · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. toast — bread
  4. field — farmland
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. field — for sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cell — a phone
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. date — the fruit
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. roll — a list
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — a subject
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. vault — a safe
  23. roll — a cake
  24. nail — on a finger

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