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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 120 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
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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 · scale · sharp · row · safe · game · content · straw

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. content — happy
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. scale — in music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. row — to paddle
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. content — the amount
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. game — wild animals
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. row — a line
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. scale — size or range
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. row — a quarrel

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