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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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Word bank
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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 · hide · shower · temple · chip · game · rush · wind

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. shower — to wash
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wind — moving air
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rush — hurry
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — a match
  20. shower — rain
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chip — for betting

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