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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 120 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 · stem · snap · pop · vault · game · chair · arm

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. 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. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. game — wild animals
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. stem — to come from
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. game — a match
  13. snap — to click
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. chip — for betting
  24. 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