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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. squash — the sport
  3. chip — for betting
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rash — a series
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. squash — to crush
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. chip — to eat
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cell — in biology
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rash — on the skin

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