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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: fork · chip · kick · cap · hand · vault · rash · stick

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — for betting
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fork — in a road
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cap — of ice

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