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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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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 · face · season · land · prune · pit · temple · club

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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. pit — in a race
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. vault — a safe
  6. club — for dancing
  7. face — to confront
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. face — to point toward
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. club — a group
  13. season — of the year
  14. land — a country
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. club — for golf
  17. face — part of the head
  18. prune — to trim
  19. land — to come down
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. land — ground
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — to add flavour

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