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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. vault — a safe
  3. net — after costs
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. game — wild animals
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. file — a tool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. object — an aim
  10. net — in sport
  11. object — to protest
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. file — a document
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. object — a thing
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fine — all right
  18. wind — moving air
  19. net — for catching
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wind — to turn a key

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