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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: bulb · arm · content · straw · bore · cell · vault · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cell — a phone
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. content — happy
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cell — in biology
  9. vault — a safe
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. content — the amount
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bulb — for light
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bore — to tire
  24. arm — a part of something

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