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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. vault — a safe
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. capital — a city
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. capital — money
  20. pit — a hole
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bear — the animal

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