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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 · arm · march · roll · spell · chest · nail · rest

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. spell — a short time
  3. vault — a safe
  4. march — the month
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rest — what's left
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. rest — a break
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — letters
  17. rest — what's left
  18. roll — a cake
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. chest — a box
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. roll — a list

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