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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: face · cap · stand · vault · lash · snap · chair · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stand — to bear
  3. face — to point toward
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. snap — to click
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cap — a hat
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. face — part of the head
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. shower — to wash
  21. face — to confront
  22. chair — a leader
  23. vault — a safe
  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