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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. dip — to sink
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. swing — music
  11. mine — for digging
  12. chip — to eat
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. swing — to play on
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fork — in a road
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. swing — in golf

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