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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 120 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cue — a signal
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. capital — a city
  12. club — a group
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wind — moving air
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. capital — money
  24. degree — an amount

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