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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · net · hand · face · rush · temple · cell · vault

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cell — in biology
  3. face — part of the head
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — in sport
  12. cell — a phone
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — hurry
  19. staff — employees
  20. face — to point toward
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. hand — in cards
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rush — a thrill

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