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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: vault · racket · chip · hide · rush · dip · field · wind

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. field — farmland
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chip — to eat
  9. vault — a safe
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. field — a subject
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chip — for betting
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — for sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. dip — to sink

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