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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: scale · cell · tear · vault · capital · bat · rock · foot

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. rock — a stone
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tear — from crying
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. capital — a city
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rock — music
  15. capital — money
  16. cell — in biology
  17. tear — from crying
  18. scale — in music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. vault — a safe
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rock — to move gently

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