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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rule — a law
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chip — to eat
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cell — in biology
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rule — government
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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