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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 · cell · mouse · march · rush · date · cold · charge

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. charge — a price
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cell — in biology
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. vault — a safe
  10. march — the month
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — music
  13. charge — in control
  14. cell — a phone
  15. charge — electricity
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. date — the fruit
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. march — the month
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rush — hurry

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