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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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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: vault · kid · chair · cap · kick · hide · row · saw

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. kick — in football
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cap — of ice
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kid — child
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cap — a hat
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cap — a lid
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chair — to sit on

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