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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fine — all right
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fine — high quality
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitcher — a jug

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