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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: vault · bowl · ruler · bass · chair · cell · cold · shower

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — low music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. chair — a leader
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. vault — a safe

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