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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 120 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: rush · vault · kid · ground · march · rash · rest · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rash — a series
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rush — hurry
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ground — crushed
  15. vault — a safe
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — music
  18. rest — a break
  19. kid — to tease
  20. march — the month
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. ground — a position
  23. march — the month
  24. kid — child

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