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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. net — in sport
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chip — to eat
  9. net — after costs
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — for digging
  14. vault — a safe
  15. net — for catching
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mine — belonging to me

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