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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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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: face · bowl · land · kid · hide · vault · wind · staff

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — to confront
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. land — a country
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. land — to come down
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. land — ground
  12. staff — employees
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. vault — a safe
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. staff — employees
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. face — part of the head
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bowl — a dish

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