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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. capital — a city
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tube — a container
  12. bass — the fish
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. branch — a division
  21. bass — low music
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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