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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: vault · trunk · rule · deal · mate · chest · chair · spell

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — a short time
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. chair — a leader
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rule — government
  10. spell — magic
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. spell — letters
  13. mate — a partner
  14. chest — a box
  15. mate — to breed
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rule — a law
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mate — a friend
  24. deal — a big deal

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