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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: date · cabinet · roll · shower · game · vault · pass · tear

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. game — a match
  3. pass — a permit
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — a list
  7. shower — to wash
  8. tear — from crying
  9. roll — a cake
  10. shower — rain
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. vault — a safe
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. date — the fruit
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. date — on the calendar

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