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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: vault · suit · pitch · temple · bulb · file · hand · coach

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — in cards
  5. suit — in cards
  6. file — a tool
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. suit — clothes
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. vault — a safe
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — completely
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. hand — help

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