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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · hide · pop · net · fan · perch · snap · rule

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pop — soda
  6. net — for catching
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. net — in sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rule — government
  19. snap — to click
  20. rule — a law
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. net — after costs

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