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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 120 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: game · bear · chest · vault · last · ground · bowl · chair

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. game — a match
  3. ground — crushed
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chest — a box
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. last — final
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ground — a position
  12. last — finally
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. last — to go on
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ground — the earth

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