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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: vault · last · swing · chair · file · wave · rush · mate

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. swing — in golf
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. last — finally
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. file — a tool

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