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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chip — for betting
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. drill — army training
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. scale — size or range
  9. chip — to eat
  10. game — a match
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. drill — the tool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. vault — a safe
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. scale — in music
  24. kick — in football

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