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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. snap — to click
  3. chip — to eat
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. chip — for betting
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cap — a hat
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. staff — employees
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tube — a container
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stem — to come from
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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