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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: ball · land · leaves · game · bore · vault · chip · hand

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chip — for betting
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. game — a match
  6. land — a country
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bore — to tire
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. vault — a safe
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. ball — a great time
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. leaves — of a tree

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