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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. ground — the earth
  6. track — a path
  7. field — a subject
  8. track — to keep track
  9. clip — to cut
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. field — for sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. clip — a video
  15. ground — a position
  16. clip — for paper
  17. track — a song
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — farmland
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. object — an aim
  22. ground — crushed
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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