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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: wound · cabinet · date · kick · mark · toast · content · vault

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wound — an injury
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. mark — a trace
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. kick — in football
  16. content — the amount
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. toast — bread
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — the fruit
  24. vault — a safe

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