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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. chip — to eat
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. drill — army training
  12. net — for catching
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. net — after costs
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fork — in a road
  20. net — in sport
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bat — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. leaves — to go away

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