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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. vault — a safe
  3. charge — in control
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. chip — to eat
  9. charge — electricity
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. scale — in music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. chip — for betting
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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