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

Word bank: temple · hide · degree · chest · vault · board · wake · staff

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. staff — employees
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. board — to get on
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. degree — temperature
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a committee
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. chest — a box
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. vault — a safe
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. staff — employees
  20. wake — a trail
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. degree — from a university
  24. hide — to keep secret

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