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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: last · net · wound · chip · lie · straw · bear · vault

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. last — finally
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chip — to eat
  6. net — after costs
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. last — to go on
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lie — to recline
  17. last — final
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. vault — a safe
  20. net — in sport
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — for catching
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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