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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: vault · rush · mate · trunk · face · shower · safe · pit

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mate — a friend
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. mate — a partner
  12. shower — to wash
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rush — hurry
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — part of the head
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. vault — a safe
  19. face — to confront
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. shower — rain
  24. mate — to breed

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