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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cell — in biology
  6. club — for golf
  7. root — the cause
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kid — child
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. club — a group
  17. chip — for betting
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kid — to tease
  21. root — of a word
  22. chip — to eat
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cell — a phone

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