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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: current · temple · dip · chest · net · chip · mine · vault

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. current — electric
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. net — in sport
  8. dip — to sink
  9. current — happening now
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mine — for digging
  12. net — after costs
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chip — for betting
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. current — of water
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chest — a box
  24. net — for catching

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