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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 120 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
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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: cold · mouse · track · saw · hand · hide · court · vault

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. track — a song
  5. cold — not warm
  6. track — a path
  7. court — for sport
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. court — of a king
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. track — to keep track
  15. vault — a safe
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. court — of law
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. saw — the tool
  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