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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: vault · kid · toast · temple · object · mine · pit · cell

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mine — for digging
  3. object — to protest
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. object — a thing
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. kid — child
  12. cell — in biology
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. object — an aim
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. kid — to tease
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. toast — bread
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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