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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: swing · shower · vault · bound · chair · chip · content · perch

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. perch — the fish
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chip — to eat
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. chip — for betting
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. shower — rain
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bound — tied together
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bound — certain
  21. swing — to play on
  22. content — happy
  23. swing — music
  24. bound — obliged

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