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

Word bank: racket · stand · vault · kick · temple · content

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stand — to bear
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. kick — in football
  11. content — the amount
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. content — happy
  14. vault — a safe
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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