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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: stick · plane · date · racket · present · vault · row · foot

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. row — to paddle
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. date — the fruit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. foot — a measure
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. plane — a tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. row — a line
  21. vault — a safe
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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