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

Word bank: firm · shower · chest · vault · club · content

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. firm — decided
  3. chest — a box
  4. shower — to wash
  5. vault — a safe
  6. firm — a company
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. content — happy
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. firm — steady
  15. shower — rain
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. content — the amount

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