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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ground — crushed
  3. tube — the underground
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tube — a container
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. vault — a safe
  13. file — a tool
  14. ground — a position
  15. file — a line of people
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. file — a document
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. saw — the tool

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