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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: vault · board · roll · mate · row · temple

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. row — a line
  7. board — a committee
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — a partner
  11. roll — a list
  12. mate — to breed
  13. board — to get on
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. row — to paddle
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  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