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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: drill · hide · squash · clip · vault · chip · scale · wake

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — to crush
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wake — a trail
  5. scale — size or range
  6. squash — the sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. clip — a video
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. drill — army training
  12. clip — to cut
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. scale — in music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. drill — a practice
  18. chip — for betting
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chip — to eat
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. clip — for paper

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