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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: vault · coach · cap · cell · content · chair

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cap — a lid
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. chair — a leader
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cap — a hat
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chair — a professorship

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