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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: key · deal · wound · mine · pop · vault · temple · pit

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. key — for a lock
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. key — in music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pop — music
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mine — for digging
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wound — an injury
  20. vault — a safe
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pit — in a race
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. key — the most important part

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