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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: suit · chair · chest · last · tear · vault

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. vault — a safe
  4. chest — of your body
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — a leader
  10. tear — to rip
  11. suit — to fit
  12. last — to go on
  13. chest — a box
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — clothes
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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