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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fork — in a road
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chip — to eat
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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