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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: craft · foot · temple · racket · bowl · season · vault · staff

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. season — in sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — of the year
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a skill
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. staff — a stick
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. vault — a safe
  21. staff — employees
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. foot — a measure
  24. temple — a place of worship

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