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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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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 · toast · prune · cabinet · race · mouse · vault · game

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. race — the arms race
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. date — the fruit
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. game — wild animals
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — a contest
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. game — a match
  21. toast — bread
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. race — humankind

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