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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: ground · mine · saw · snap · net · chip · vault · craft

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chip — for betting
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. net — for catching
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. snap — to click
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. ground — crushed
  19. craft — boats
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. vault — a safe
  23. craft — a skill
  24. ground — the earth

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