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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — of a word
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. can — a tin
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. file — a line of people
  11. root — of a plant
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. can — to be able to
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. root — the cause
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pit — in a race
  18. date — the fruit
  19. vault — a safe
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. file — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. file — a document

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