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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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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: ruler · bulb · last · vault · file · snap · chair · saw

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. snap — to click
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. file — a line of people
  7. last — finally
  8. vault — a safe
  9. file — a tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bulb — for light
  16. file — a document
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. saw — the tool

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