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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. toast — bread
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. shower — rain
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. field — for sport
  15. chip — for betting
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lean — to bend
  18. field — farmland
  19. saw — the tool
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. game — a match

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