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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: ball · chip · capital · vault · roll · last · spring · file

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. file — a document
  3. chip — to eat
  4. roll — a list
  5. chip — for betting
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. last — to go on
  8. vault — a safe
  9. ball — a great time
  10. last — finally
  11. spring — of water
  12. capital — a city
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spring — the season
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spring — a coil
  17. capital — money
  18. last — final
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. roll — a cake
  23. file — a tool
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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