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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 120 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. The water is too ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cold — not warm
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. board — to get on
  5. cold — an illness
  6. chip — for betting
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. saw — the tool
  12. vault — a safe
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rule — government
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. board — a committee
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rule — a law
  24. stand — for spectators

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