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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 120 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 · rash · vault · lie · charge · club · capital · temple

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lie — to recline
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. charge — electricity
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. charge — in control
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. club — for dancing
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. chair — a leader
  16. club — for golf
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. capital — a city
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. club — a group
  23. capital — money
  24. charge — a price

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