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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. chip — to eat
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. land — to come down
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spring — of water
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stock — shares
  13. land — a country
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spring — the season
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — for digging
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. land — ground

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