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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: pass · race · court · pound · wind · date · vault · sharp

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. pound — a weight
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. race — humankind
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pass — a permit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wind — moving air
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wind — moving air
  22. race — a contest
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. court — of a king

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