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

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hand — in cards
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hand — help
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. march — the month
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. club — for golf
  17. roll — a list
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. club — a group
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. vault — a safe

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