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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.

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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: saw · wave · swing · toast · chair · arm · vault · pitcher

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. toast — bread
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. vault — a safe
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. swing — to play on

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