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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · bound · mouse · clip · chair · ball · chest · vault

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. clip — to cut
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — a series
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bound — tied together
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chest — a box
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — a video
  24. mouse — the animal

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