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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 116 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: stick · vault · chip · rest · deal · kid · cold · hide

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rest — a break
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cold — not warm
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. kid — child
  14. rest — what's left
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chip — to eat
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chip — for betting
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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