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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. date — the fruit
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mine — for digging
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. branch — a division
  22. shower — rain
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mine — an explosive

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