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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chip — to eat
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. mug — a face
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. vault — a safe
  23. sharp — clever
  24. saw — the tool

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