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

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — rain
  5. fall — to drop
  6. object — to protest
  7. pitch — completely
  8. object — a thing
  9. charge — a price
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. march — music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fall — the season
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — to wash
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. charge — in control
  23. fall — to drop
  24. charge — electricity

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