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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · vault · leaves · squash · march · court · date · dip

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — rain
  9. date — the fruit
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. vault — a safe
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. squash — the sport
  19. dip — to sink
  20. squash — to crush
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. march — music
  23. court — for sport
  24. shower — to wash

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