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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 · snap · last · chest · arm · temple · present · wave

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. present — a gift
  3. last — final
  4. vault — a safe
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. chest — a box
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. last — to go on
  15. present — there
  16. last — finally
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. present — the time now
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. chest — of your body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  24. arm — 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