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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cap — a lid
  5. file — a line of people
  6. net — after costs
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. file — a document
  10. chip — to eat
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. net — for catching
  17. file — a tool
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cap — a hat
  20. net — in sport
  21. snap — to click
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chip — for betting

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