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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. vault — a safe
  8. chip — to eat
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stem — to come from
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. chest — of your body
  17. date — the fruit
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bass — low music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chest — a box
  24. bass — the fish

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