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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: ball · wake · rash · last · hide · firm · vault · saw

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. firm — steady
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. saw — the tool
  10. firm — decided
  11. last — final
  12. firm — a company
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. last — finally
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wake — a trail
  22. last — to go on
  23. vault — a safe
  24. ball — a dance

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