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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: fine · fan · vault · temple · lie · wound · racket · field

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fine — high quality
  4. lie — to recline
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. field — a subject
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. field — farmland
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. vault — a safe
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fine — all right
  24. racket — for tennis

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