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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 116 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: ruler · rest · plane · bound · vault · chair · land · field

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — tied together
  3. field — farmland
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bound — certain
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. field — for sport
  15. plane — a tool
  16. field — a subject
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rest — a break
  21. land — ground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — an aircraft

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