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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 116 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: rest · spring · deal · vault · chair · game · charge · stick

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. chair — a leader
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. charge — in control
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spring — the season
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. game — a match
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spring — of water
  15. game — wild animals
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rest — a break
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — a price
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spring — a coil

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