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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: rush · snap · tear · fine · vault · pitcher · court · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. court — of law
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to click
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. court — of a king
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. court — for sport
  17. rush — hurry
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fine — high quality

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