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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 120 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
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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: field · cap · kick · chip · bore · fine · vault · rash

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. field — a subject
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. kick — in football
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. bore — to drill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rash — a series
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cap — a lid
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bore — to tire
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cap — of ice

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