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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: squash · date · vault · hide · face · arm · rash · bowl

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. face — to point toward
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. date — the fruit
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rash — a series
  17. squash — the sport
  18. face — to confront
  19. squash — to crush
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. arm — part of the body

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