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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 116 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cold — not warm
  4. face — to point toward
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. board — to get on
  9. face — to confront
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chip — to eat
  12. face — part of the head
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. present — there
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. present — the time now
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. board — a committee
  23. present — a gift
  24. hand — help

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