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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: nail · vault · pitcher · chair · lean · rule · deal · bark

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. vault — a safe
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bark — to shout
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rule — government
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lean — thin
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — a law
  24. lean — to bend

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