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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 · bat · vault · shower · mouse · scale · jam · tube

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. scale — size or range
  9. shower — to wash
  10. scale — in music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chair — a leader
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. shower — rain
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mouse — for a computer

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