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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. content — the amount
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — an aim
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — happy
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. object — a thing
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wound — an injury

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