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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: march · chip · vault · kick · squash · land · jam · scale

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. squash — the sport
  3. land — ground
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. vault — a safe
  6. scale — size or range
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. squash — to crush
  9. march — music
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. march — the month
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. scale — in music
  16. land — to come down
  17. chip — for betting
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chip — to eat
  22. march — the month
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. land — a country

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