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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: face · vault · race · temple · club · last · leaves · ball

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. vault — a safe
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. race — a contest
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. race — humankind
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. club — for dancing
  21. last — final
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. last — to go on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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