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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: land · vault · chair · roll · hide · swing · file · row

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. file — a document
  4. land — ground
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. file — a tool
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. roll — a list
  11. land — a country
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. file — a line of people
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. vault — a safe
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — a leader
  20. land — to come down
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. roll — a cake
  23. swing — in golf
  24. row — a quarrel

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