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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: chest · saw · chair · rash · scale · vault · bowl · wake

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. 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. chair — a leader
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chest — a box
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chest — of your body
  24. 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