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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: date · vault · perch · fan · pound · court · cell · tube

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tube — a container
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of a king
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. cell — a phone
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. tube — the underground
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fan — a supporter

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