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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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