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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: saw · shower · ruler · press · chair · vault · club · staff

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. press — to push
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. club — for dancing
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. saw — the tool
  16. staff — a stick
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. staff — employees
  19. shower — rain
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. vault — a safe
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. staff — employees

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