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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: roll · vault · sharp · wake · lash · chair · ball · cold

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. roll — a list
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. vault — a safe
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cold — an illness
  18. roll — a cake
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chair — a leader
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. wake — before a funeral

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