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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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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: coach · snap · safe · straw · vault · cell

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. snap — to click
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cell — a phone
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cell — in biology
  18. coach — a trainer

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