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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 116 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: vault · last · mate · chip · fall · cold · plane · club

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. club — a group
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. club — for dancing
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chip — to eat
  8. mate — a friend
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. last — to go on
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mate — a partner
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cold — an illness
  17. last — final
  18. fall — the season
  19. mate — to breed
  20. last — finally
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. club — for golf
  23. vault — a safe
  24. plane — a tool

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