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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: wound · pit · wind · vault · chip · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — for betting
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pit — in a race

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