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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: bay · vault · race · fall · game · racket · spring · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chip — for betting
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. spring — of water
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. game — wild animals
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. spring — a coil
  12. game — a match
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — the season
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. race — the arms race
  24. fall — the season

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