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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 116 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: swing · chip · cabinet · rock · vault · content · degree · bowl

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. swing — music
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. vault — a safe
  10. content — the amount
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. degree — an amount
  20. swing — to play on
  21. degree — temperature
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — music

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