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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. last — to go on
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — final
  10. vault — a safe
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cold — not warm
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fine — all right
  19. wax — to grow
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mug — a face
  22. cold — an illness
  23. last — finally
  24. fine — a penalty

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