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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chip — for betting
  3. root — the cause
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — after costs
  7. bound — tied together
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rest — a break
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. chest — a box
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bound — certain
  19. rest — what's left
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — obliged
  22. net — in sport
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. vault — a safe

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