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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 120 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: chip · firm · vault · foot · rock · march · mine · bat

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. march — the month
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. march — music
  5. firm — decided
  6. chip — to eat
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rock — music
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. firm — steady
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. march — the month

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