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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: vault · staff · bat · perch · fall · temple · chest · kid

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kid — child
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. kid — to tease
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bat — the animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fall — the season
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chest — of your body
  23. staff — a stick
  24. perch — the fish

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