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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: spell · game · stem · bay · temple · rest · vault · capital

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rest — a break
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. spell — letters
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stem — to come from
  9. spell — a short time
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. capital — money
  17. vault — a safe
  18. spell — magic
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. game — a match
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. capital — a city
  24. stem — of a plant

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