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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: bowl · temple · ground · pop · pass · snap · row · vault

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — a permit
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. snap — to click
  5. pop — music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ground — crushed
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pop — soda
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. row — a line
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ground — a position
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bowl — a dish

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