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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: face · vault · race · temple · club · last

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — finally
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. face — to confront
  8. race — a contest
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — final
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. race — humankind
  15. last — to go on
  16. race — the arms race
  17. club — for dancing
  18. vault — a safe

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