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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 116 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: chair · pitcher · nail · vault · chip · wind · bowl · wound

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chip — for betting
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. chip — to eat
  23. vault — a safe
  24. wound — an injury

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