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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: arm · vault · clip · bowl · hand · object · lie · shower

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. clip — a video
  6. lie — to recline
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. shower — to wash
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. hand — help
  15. shower — rain
  16. hand — in cards
  17. object — an aim
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. object — a thing
  24. lie — an untruth

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