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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.

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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: sharp · chip · field · cue · vault · chair · bear · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. sharp — clever
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cue — a hint
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. field — farmland
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. pound — a weight
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chair — to sit on

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