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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 · roll · bear · temple · court · pit · swing · band

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. band — a music group
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. court — of a king
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. court — for sport
  12. roll — a list
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pit — in a race
  15. band — a ring
  16. swing — in golf
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. swing — music
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. swing — to play on
  21. court — of law
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. roll — a cake

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