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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 · chest · cabinet · rest · rock · charge · spring · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spring — the season
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. charge — in control
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spring — a coil
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. charge — a price
  14. rock — music
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chest — a box
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rest — a break
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spring — of water
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chest — of your body
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rest — what's left

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