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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: kick · drill · swing · game · vault · race · temple · spell

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. spell — letters
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. drill — the tool
  6. swing — music
  7. spell — magic
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. game — a match
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. vault — a safe
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. race — the arms race
  16. spell — a short time
  17. game — wild animals
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. drill — army training
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. swing — in golf
  24. kick — in football

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