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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: row · chair · pit · bay · vault · present · date · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. row — a line
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. present — a gift
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. present — there
  13. date — the fruit
  14. chair — a leader
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. row — to paddle
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. present — the time now
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pit — in a race
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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