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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · band · cell · vault · rest · straw

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. chip — to eat
  3. band — a music group
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rest — a break
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rest — what's left
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. band — a ring
  18. rest — what's left

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