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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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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: chair · vault · trunk · sharp · pit · last · staff · bass

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — the fish
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pit — a hole
  18. chair — a leader
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bass — low music

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