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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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Word bank
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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: shower · net · lie · cue · temple · vault · present · season

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. present — there
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. season — in sport
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. present — a gift
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. shower — to wash
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. season — of the year
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. net — after costs
  22. vault — a safe
  23. present — the time now
  24. shower — rain

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