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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: ball · sharp · temple · season · vault · fan · race · mine

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. race — a contest
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ball — a dance
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — of the year
  15. race — humankind
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. season — in sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. ball — a great time
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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