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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: bear · bay · vault · scale · cell · file

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. file — a document
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bear — the animal
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. file — a tool
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. scale — in music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. scale — size or range

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