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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: vault · sharp · bore · suit · last · date · racket · spring

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. suit — in cards
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — finally
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bore — to tire
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. last — to go on
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — the season
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. sharp — clever
  15. vault — a safe
  16. date — the fruit
  17. spring — of water
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bore — to drill
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. spring — a coil
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. suit — clothes
  24. date — on the calendar

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