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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: chip · cold · vault · plane · cell · chair · track · bark

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cell — in biology
  4. track — a song
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chip — for betting
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cold — not warm
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chip — to eat
  16. plane — a tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cold — an illness
  24. chair — to sit on

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