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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. drill — a practice
  6. kid — child
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bulb — for light
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chip — to eat
  23. kid — to tease
  24. drill — army training

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