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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · rash · last · temple · deal · game · vault · pass

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pass — a permit
  5. last — final
  6. ball — a great time
  7. game — a match
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ball — a dance
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. last — to go on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. last — finally
  21. deal — to handle
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rash — a series

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