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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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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: chair · present · arm · cell · vault · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — the time now
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cell — a phone
  6. chair — a leader
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. vault — a safe
  16. present — there
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. present — a gift

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