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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: vault · file · pop · net · fall · kick · chip · cell

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — for catching
  4. file — a tool
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. file — a line of people
  10. kick — in football
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. fall — the season
  13. net — in sport
  14. chip — for betting
  15. net — after costs
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — soda
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pop — music
  23. file — a document
  24. chip — to eat

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