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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: hide · perch · ball · vault · mate · fall · track · net

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. vault — a safe
  3. net — in sport
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mate — a friend
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fall — the season
  9. mate — a partner
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. track — a song
  12. net — for catching
  13. track — to keep track
  14. net — after costs
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. track — a path
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hide — to keep secret

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