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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: pop · cold · mate · wound · bowl · hide · scale · vault

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. scale — size or range
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pop — soda
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cold — an illness

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