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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mark — a grade
  4. kid — to tease
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. rule — government
  8. chip — for betting
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pass — a permit
  13. net — after costs
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. chip — to eat
  18. drill — army training
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. kid — child
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mark — a trace
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rule — a law

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