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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: vault · mark · bark · file · mate · season · hide · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. file — a tool
  10. bark — to shout
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. file — a line of people
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mate — to breed
  18. roll — a cake
  19. season — in sport
  20. file — a document
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. season — of the year
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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