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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: saw · vault · rule · present · hide · wind · chip · file

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. chip — to eat
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rule — a law
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a document
  7. present — the time now
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. present — there
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. file — a tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. present — a gift
  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