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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: date · vault · firm · temple · clip · shower · arm · cell

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. shower — rain
  5. clip — a video
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. clip — for paper
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cell — a phone
  14. date — the fruit
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. clip — to cut
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. firm — steady
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. firm — a company
  22. vault — a safe
  23. firm — decided
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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