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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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Word bank
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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: kick · wind · chip · spell · pop · vault

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pop — music
  3. spell — magic
  4. pop — soda
  5. chip — to eat
  6. kick — in football
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chip — for betting
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pop — to visit
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — letters

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