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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: saw · bat · chair · vault · mug · present · chip · firm

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. mug — to rob
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. chair — a leader
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. firm — steady
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. present — a gift
  10. firm — decided
  11. chip — to eat
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. present — there
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. firm — a company
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bat — the animal
  24. present — the time now

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