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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 120 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: perch · chair · sharp · file · vault · kick · safe · stock

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. vault — a safe
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stock — shares
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. file — a line of people
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stock — goods
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kick — in football

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