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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 · fork · chip · foot · spring · rule · vault · wake

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. kick — in football
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rule — a law
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chip — to eat
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spring — the season
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rule — government
  24. chip — in a computer

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