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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chip — to eat
  3. clip — for paper
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. key — the most important part
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. key — for a lock
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. vault — a safe
  15. clip — a video
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. capital — money
  20. key — in music
  21. clip — to cut
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. capital — a city
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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