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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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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: file · wind · drill · safe · hide · vault · stick · court

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. court — of a king
  5. wind — moving air
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. vault — a safe
  8. court — for sport
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. court — of law
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. file — a document
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. drill — army training
  22. file — a tool
  23. drill — the tool
  24. file — a line of people

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