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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
468
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 · field · squash · pass · spring · pit · date · roll

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. field — farmland
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. date — the fruit
  8. spring — of water
  9. field — a subject
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. roll — a cake
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. spring — the season
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. roll — a list
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pass — a permit
  23. field — for sport
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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