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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 120 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 · patient · wound · bark · rule · vault · safe · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chip — for betting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rule — a law
  6. key — for a lock
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — to shout
  13. key — in music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rule — government
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. vault — a safe
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wound — an injury

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