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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · row · scale · vault · wake · bat · game · squash

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. 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. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. vault — a safe
  4. squash — to crush
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. chair — a leader
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. squash — the sport
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wake — a trail
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. game — a match
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. 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