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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 116 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: rest · land · spell · vault · lash · sharp · bat · chip

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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 — an arched ceiling
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. land — ground
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rest — a break
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spell — magic
  16. sharp — clever
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spell — letters
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  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