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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: nail · land · vault · saw · roll · pitcher · chair · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. vault — a safe
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — a leader
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. roll — a cake
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. land — a country
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. roll — a list
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pitcher — a jug

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