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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: field · deal · vault · safe · band · bat · bound · temple

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. field — farmland
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bound — obliged
  8. band — a ring
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. band — a music group
  14. deal — to handle
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bat — the animal
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. vault — a safe
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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