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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: mouse · last · nail · chip · net · kid · wake · vault

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. chip — to eat
  3. kid — to tease
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. net — after costs
  6. chip — for betting
  7. last — final
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. kid — child
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wake — before a funeral

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