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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: club · vault · dip · fan · chair · last · wake · press

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. vault — a safe
  3. last — final
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. press — to push
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wake — a trail
  16. press — newspapers
  17. last — to go on
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. club — for golf
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. last — finally
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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