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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · pitch · present · bowl · deal · vault

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. present — a gift
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. present — there
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pitch — completely
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. present — the time now
  17. vault — a safe
  18. deal — to handle

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