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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: leaves · vault · bat · perch · date · chip · hide · file

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a document
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. perch — the fish
  12. vault — a safe
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chip — to eat
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bat — the animal
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. file — a tool
  21. date — the fruit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chip — in a computer

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