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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: shower · chip · band · patient · pass · kid · club · vault

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. club — for golf
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chip — to eat
  18. shower — rain
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. club — a group
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. kid — child

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