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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 · rock · deal · chair · staff · tear · fine · nail

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. staff — employees
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — all right
  10. staff — a stick
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rock — a stone
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tear — to rip
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. staff — employees
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. vault — a safe

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