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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: firm · chair · tear · press · track · vault · rest · current

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. firm — steady
  3. vault — a safe
  4. current — of water
  5. firm — a company
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. track — a path
  9. press — to push
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. firm — decided
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. current — electric
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rest — what's left
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. tear — to rip
  23. current — happening now
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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