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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: ground · rock · date · vault · kid · last · squash · pitcher

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. last — final
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — a safe
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ground — crushed
  10. kid — child
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rock — a stone
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ground — the earth
  17. last — finally
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — a position
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitcher — a jug

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