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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. vault — a safe
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — a container
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. lean — thin
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. game — a match
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pit — in a race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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