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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: chair · present · tear · rule · vault · foot · tube · pitcher

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. tear — from crying
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. present — there
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. present — the time now
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rule — a law
  13. tube — the underground
  14. present — a gift
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. vault — a safe
  19. tube — a container
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rule — government
  24. chair — a leader

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