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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · pass · date · vault · pop · file · content · land

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. staff — employees
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. land — a country
  10. date — the fruit
  11. staff — a stick
  12. land — ground
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. content — happy
  16. file — a tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pass — a permit
  22. content — the amount
  23. staff — employees
  24. file — a document

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