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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: toast · key · chair · lie · hide · kid · vault · cap

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chair — a leader
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cap — a hat
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. key — in music
  18. toast — bread
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kid — child
  23. cap — a lid
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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