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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.

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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 · dip · vault · stick · hand · date · kid · ball

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. dip — to sink
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — in cards
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ball — a great time
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ball — a dance
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. vault — a safe
  21. date — the fruit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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