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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
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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: press · sharp · court · hand · rule · vault · rock · chair

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. hand — help
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. court — of law
  5. chair — a leader
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rule — government
  8. sharp — clever
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rock — music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rule — a law
  15. hand — in cards
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. press — to push
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rock — a stone
  24. hand — part of the body

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