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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bass — low music
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. field — for sport
  7. bass — the fish
  8. field — a subject
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. board — a committee
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. field — farmland
  13. file — a tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. board — to get on
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. file — a document
  21. drill — the tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. drill — army training

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