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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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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: rush · cap · net · chair · board · band · vault · lash

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cap — of ice
  6. vault — a safe
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. net — after costs
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chair — a leader
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. band — a ring
  15. cap — a lid
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. net — for catching
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. net — in sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. cap — a hat

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