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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. chip — to eat
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chip — for betting
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — after costs
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. band — a music group
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stock — shares
  14. net — in sport
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stock — goods
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. band — a ring
  22. march — music
  23. net — for catching
  24. snap — to click

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