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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. date — the fruit
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. degree — an amount
  9. file — a document
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chip — to eat
  16. can — a tin
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. vault — a safe
  21. degree — from a university
  22. file — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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