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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. shower — rain
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. vault — a safe
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wake — a trail
  10. file — a tool
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. shower — to wash
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rule — government
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. rule — a law
  23. file — a document
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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