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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 · cold · mark · arm · march · temple · straw · plane

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mark — a grade
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cold — not warm
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. march — the month
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mark — a trace
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cold — an illness
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. march — the month
  23. plane — a tool
  24. vault — a safe

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