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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 · rest · staff · spring · bore · race · net · vault

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. race — the arms race
  3. date — the fruit
  4. staff — employees
  5. net — for catching
  6. race — a contest
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. net — in sport
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — the season
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rest — a break
  14. spring — of water
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rest — what's left
  19. race — humankind
  20. net — after costs
  21. staff — employees
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. staff — a stick

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