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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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 — an arched ceiling
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pop — soda
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. file — a document
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. file — a line of people
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — to visit
  14. shower — to wash
  15. file — a tool
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. drill — a practice
  18. vault — a safe
  19. drill — army training
  20. pop — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. shower — rain
  23. stock — goods
  24. hide — animal skin

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