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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: trunk · current · hand · chair · pitcher · present · rule · vault

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rule — a law
  7. current — happening now
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. present — a gift
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. present — there
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. present — the time now
  21. rule — government
  22. hand — in cards
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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