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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: hide · object · clip · mate · bay · vault · cold · face

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mate — to breed
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. object — a thing
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. vault — a safe
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mate — a partner
  19. clip — a video
  20. face — to confront
  21. object — to protest
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. object — an aim

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