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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: club · chip · cold · charge · kid · mate · vault · wax

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. club — for golf
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. charge — electricity
  8. kid — child
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kid — to tease
  15. chip — to eat
  16. charge — a price
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. club — a group
  21. vault — a safe
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mate — a partner
  24. charge — in control

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