ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

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.

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
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

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 · scale · content · chest · squash · row · kid · charge

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. content — happy
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. charge — in control
  6. kid — child
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. charge — a price
  9. chest — of your body
  10. kid — to tease
  11. chest — of your body
  12. charge — electricity
  13. squash — the sport
  14. vault — a safe
  15. content — the amount
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. squash — to crush
  18. scale — in music
  19. chest — a box
  20. scale — size or range
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. row — to paddle
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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