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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. swing — in golf
  5. vault — a safe
  6. land — to come down
  7. chip — to eat
  8. file — a document
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. land — a country
  12. court — of a king
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. tube — the underground
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — for sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chip — for betting
  21. court — of law
  22. land — ground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. file — a tool

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