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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. tear — to rip
  3. firm — a company
  4. shower — to wash
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. shower — rain
  7. firm — decided
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. tear — from crying
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — a practice
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. firm — steady
  15. last — to go on
  16. cell — a phone
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cell — in biology
  20. drill — army training
  21. vault — a safe
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. cell — in a prison

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