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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mate — to breed
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chip — for betting
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bulb — for light
  24. coach — a trainer

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