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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fall — the season
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cap — of ice
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. rash — hasty
  24. board — a committee

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