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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.

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
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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: squash · chair · vault · scale · clip · mine · wound · fork

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. scale — in music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mine — for digging
  17. clip — for paper
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. chair — a leader
  24. clip — a video

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