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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: tube · chair · ground · march · date · vault · rock · pit

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pit — in a race
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. march — the month
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. tube — a container
  18. pit — a hole
  19. tube — the underground
  20. march — the month
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. vault — a safe
  24. march — music

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