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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. vault — a safe
  3. race — a contest
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. race — humankind
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chip — to eat
  20. charge — in control
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chip — for betting
  23. charge — a price
  24. race — the arms race

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