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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: spell · chip · vault · game · object · rest · land · bark

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rest — a break
  3. land — ground
  4. game — wild animals
  5. object — a thing
  6. vault — a safe
  7. chip — to eat
  8. game — a match
  9. spell — a short time
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rest — what's left
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. land — to come down
  14. object — an aim
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chip — for betting
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spell — magic
  23. land — a country
  24. object — to protest

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