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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: game · object · vault · toast · lash · spring · chip · straw

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. toast — bread
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chip — for betting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. object — a thing
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. game — a match
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — of water
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. spring — a coil
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spring — the season
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. vault — a safe

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