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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. face — to point toward
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. shower — rain
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chest — a box
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. firm — decided
  9. staff — employees
  10. chest — of your body
  11. face — to confront
  12. shower — to wash
  13. face — part of the head
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. staff — employees
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. firm — a company
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. staff — a stick
  22. vault — a safe
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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