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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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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: fall · chip · lie · vault · cold · rash · current · ground

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cold — not warm
  3. current — happening now
  4. ground — the earth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chip — to eat
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fall — the season
  10. ground — a position
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — a safe
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rash — a series
  18. current — electric
  19. ground — crushed
  20. lie — to recline
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. current — of water
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chip — for betting

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