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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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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: deal · ground · content · toast · vault · clip · fan · hide

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. clip — for paper
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. ground — the earth
  6. deal — to handle
  7. ground — crushed
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — a video
  12. toast — bread
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. content — the amount
  16. ground — a position
  17. content — happy
  18. clip — to cut
  19. vault — a safe
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. hide — animal skin

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