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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cell — in biology
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pop — music
  5. bat — the animal
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. capital — money
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chip — to eat
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. squash — the sport
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. vault — a safe

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