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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. present — a gift
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. march — music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cap — a hat
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. present — there
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. present — the time now
  22. staff — employees
  23. march — the month
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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