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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 · cell · mine · firm · race · leaves · field · vault

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. firm — steady
  2. field — farmland
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mine — for digging
  10. firm — a company
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. firm — decided
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. race — humankind
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  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