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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: chair · scale · vault · drill · content · cell

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cell — a phone
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. scale — size or range
  7. vault — a safe
  8. drill — a practice
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. drill — army training
  12. cell — in biology
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. content — happy
  15. chair — a leader
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. content — the amount
  18. chair — to sit on

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