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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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Word bank
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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 · land · mouse · chair · charge · lash · cap · staff

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cap — a hat
  5. land — to come down
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. charge — electricity
  10. land — ground
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. staff — employees
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. chair — a leader
  24. land — a country

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