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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. field — a subject
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. tube — the underground
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. field — farmland
  8. rule — a law
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rule — government
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bat — the animal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chip — for betting
  19. tube — a container
  20. field — for sport
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. game — a match
  24. vault — a safe

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