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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: chip · bay · bulb · root · pass · file · vault · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. vault — a safe
  5. root — of a word
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pass — a permit
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a document
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. root — the cause
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pass — to succeed

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