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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 · calf · vault · bound · kid · bass · chest · present

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. present — a gift
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. vault — a safe
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — child
  13. chest — a box
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. present — the time now
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — low music
  22. present — there
  23. bass — the fish
  24. calf — of the leg

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