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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. chip — to eat
  4. kid — child
  5. bear — the animal
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bear — the animal
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. spring — the season
  16. race — the arms race
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rush — hurry
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. chip — for betting

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