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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: charge · date · kid · suit · straw · chair · vault · branch

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. suit — clothes
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. charge — electricity
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. date — the fruit
  9. suit — to fit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. charge — in control
  13. branch — a division
  14. charge — a price
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. suit — in cards
  20. vault — a safe
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kid — child
  24. chair — to sit on

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