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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: vault · chair · cell · swing · tear · can · pit · mouse

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. can — to be able to
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. swing — music
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. tear — from crying
  16. can — a tin
  17. tear — from crying
  18. can — a tin
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cell — a phone

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