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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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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: staff · straw · chair · ball · chip · pitcher · tear · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. ball — a great time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. staff — employees
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. staff — a stick
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. tear — to rip
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chip — for betting
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a dance
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chip — to eat
  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