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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 116 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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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: vault · spring · scale · bowl · coach · cell · chair · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. scale — in music
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chair — a leader
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cell — in biology
  11. key — for a lock
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. key — in music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. spring — the season
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bowl — a dish

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