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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: mate · calf · vault · sharp · pit · leaves · bark · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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. bark — a dog's sound
  4. vault — a safe
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pit — a hole
  11. sharp — clever
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mate — a partner
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mate — a friend
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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