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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. root — of a word
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. vault — a safe
  9. staff — employees
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. root — of a plant
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. root — the cause
  18. bat — the animal

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