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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: kid · ball · fall · vault · cap · deal · hide · net

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — for catching
  11. ball — a dance
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cap — a hat
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. net — in sport
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. net — after costs
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — child
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cap — of ice
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fall — the season

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