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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. vault — a safe
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bound — tied together
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — the earth
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ground — crushed
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. ground — a position
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bound — obliged
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pit — in a race
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bowl — to roll

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