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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: vault · staff · date · tube · game · ground · bore · bat

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. tube — a container
  5. staff — employees
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. staff — employees
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bat — the animal
  11. date — the fruit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ground — a position
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ground — crushed
  20. vault — a safe
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bore — to drill
  23. game — a match
  24. tube — in a tire

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