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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: present · bank · current · bat · cold · vault · date · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. current — electric
  3. present — the time now
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. date — the fruit
  6. present — there
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. vault — a safe
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. present — a gift
  19. foot — a measure
  20. current — of water
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — an illness
  23. current — happening now
  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