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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · mouse · vault · charge · stick · date · staff · tube

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. vault — a safe
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. charge — in control
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. charge — electricity
  21. staff — employees
  22. tube — a container
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. hand — help

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