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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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. degree — from a university
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. capital — money
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. branch — a division
  11. mug — a cup
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — an amount
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mug — to rob
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. net — in sport
  18. degree — temperature
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. capital — a city
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mug — a face

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