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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. lean — to bend
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. lean — thin
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. root — the cause
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bat — the animal
  19. root — of a word
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. root — of a plant
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cap — of ice
  24. temple — a place of worship

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