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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: pit · date · cabinet · pop · rule · squash · vault · spring

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rule — a law
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pit — a hole
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pop — to visit
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pit — in a race
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. pop — music

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