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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: vault · bear · pitcher · date · chair · chip · straw · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chair — a leader
  16. vault — a safe
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bear — the animal

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