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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: chair · press · key · bound · drill · arm · vault · bat

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. key — in music
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. drill — army training
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. drill — the tool
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. key — for a lock
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bat — for baseball

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