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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: last · cold · vault · key · date · fine · court · safe

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. last — final
  3. vault — a safe
  4. fine — all right
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. last — finally
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. key — in music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. court — for sport
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. court — of a king
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cold — not warm
  17. key — for a lock
  18. last — to go on
  19. key — the most important part
  20. court — of law
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — an illness
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. date — the fruit

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