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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spring — of water
  3. pit — in a race
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. spring — the season
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pit — a hole

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