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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rash — a series
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chip — for betting
  7. face — to confront
  8. bark — to shout
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. current — happening now
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. face — part of the head
  17. current — electric
  18. tube — a container
  19. current — of water
  20. rash — hasty
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bark — of a tree

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