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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: chair · hand · rule · ground · pit · fan · vault · deal

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. ground — a position
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rule — a law
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. vault — a safe
  18. ground — crushed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hand — help
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rule — government
  24. pit — in a race

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