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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: file · vault · chair · press · row · club

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. club — for golf
  3. press — newspapers
  4. row — to paddle
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. row — a line
  9. press — to push
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. club — a group
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. press — a publisher
  16. file — a document
  17. club — for dancing
  18. file — a tool

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