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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: fine · chair · roll · tube · current · firm · vault · rash

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. fine — all right
  4. current — of water
  5. vault — a safe
  6. roll — a list
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. firm — steady
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. firm — a company
  12. current — electric
  13. chair — a leader
  14. roll — a cake
  15. rash — hasty
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. fine — high quality
  20. tube — a container
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. firm — decided
  23. rash — a series
  24. tube — in a tire

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