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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · mug · land · calf · ground · march · vault · chip

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. ground — a position
  4. land — ground
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cold — an illness
  9. vault — a safe
  10. march — music
  11. mug — to rob
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mug — a face
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — a cup
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. ground — the earth
  22. chip — for betting
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. land — to come down

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