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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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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: date · game · vault · file · club · current · pit · net

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. current — happening now
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. club — a group
  10. game — a match
  11. pit — in a race
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. current — of water
  14. club — for golf
  15. file — a tool
  16. date — the fruit
  17. file — a line of people
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. current — electric
  20. file — a document
  21. pit — a hole
  22. net — for catching
  23. vault — a safe
  24. game — a kind of play

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