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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: hide · vault · land · fall · straw · rest · cabinet · squash

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — to come down
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fall — the season
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. land — a country
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. land — ground
  24. vault — a safe

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