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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. vault — a safe
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. staff — employees
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — in golf
  8. season — of the year
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. last — final
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — a company
  15. swing — music
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. firm — decided
  19. swing — to play on
  20. staff — employees
  21. last — finally
  22. staff — a stick
  23. hand — in cards
  24. last — to go on

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