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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. chip — for betting
  3. shower — rain
  4. mine — for digging
  5. roll — a list
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fall — to drop
  8. can — a tin
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fall — the season
  15. chip — to eat
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cold — not warm
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. roll — a cake
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. can — a tin

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