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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.

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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spell — letters
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. band — a music group
  6. staff — employees
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. band — a ring
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. staff — employees
  14. spell — a short time
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — magic
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. degree — an amount
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. staff — a stick
  23. vault — a safe
  24. stand — for spectators

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