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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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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 · chip · row · stick · coach · bowl

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — a line
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chip — to eat

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