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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: vault · stick · ground · wave · cold · chip · mate · rock

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rock — music
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ground — crushed
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. ground — a position
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. vault — a safe
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mate — a partner
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mate — to breed
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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