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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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Word bank
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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: bowl · kid · snap · pit · vault · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. 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. temple — a place of worship
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. snap — to click
  5. kid — child
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pit — in a race

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