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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: kick · bear · nail · chip · vault · race · field · toast

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. field — for sport
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. race — a contest
  8. field — a subject
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. chip — to eat
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. toast — bread
  15. race — humankind
  16. chip — for betting
  17. field — farmland
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bear — the animal
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bear — to put up with

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