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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 · board · rule · saw · chair · toast · pop · rest

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. saw — the tool
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chair — a leader
  8. board — to get on
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. rest — what's left
  12. board — a committee
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. pop — music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pop — soda
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pop — to visit
  24. chair — to sit 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