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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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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: rule · ball · toast · capital · hand · vault · pitch · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. ball — a dance
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chip — to eat
  5. vault — a safe
  6. hand — help
  7. rule — government
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rule — a law
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. capital — money
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitch — completely
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. capital — a city
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. toast — bread
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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