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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: last · hide · vault · cell · cabinet · ground

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cell — in biology
  3. vault — a safe
  4. last — to go on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ground — crushed
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. last — final
  10. cell — a phone
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hide — to keep secret

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