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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: chip · net · ball · cold · foot · vault · spring · cabinet

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. chip — for betting
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ball — a dance
  8. net — in sport
  9. cold — an illness
  10. net — after costs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spring — the season
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. net — for catching
  21. foot — a measure
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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