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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 · present · kid · field · vault · object

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. present — the time now
  6. object — to protest
  7. field — farmland
  8. present — there
  9. chip — to eat
  10. kid — to tease
  11. object — a thing
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chip — for betting
  14. object — an aim
  15. present — a gift
  16. kid — child
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe

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