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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
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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: foot · object · staff · file · chip · mine · land · vault

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. staff — employees
  2. object — an aim
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. object — to protest
  7. foot — a measure
  8. land — a country
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. file — a tool
  12. staff — a stick
  13. land — to come down
  14. object — a thing
  15. file — a document
  16. chip — for betting
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. file — a line of people
  19. land — ground
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. staff — employees
  22. chip — to eat
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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