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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: toast · coach · tear · cabinet · key · vault

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. toast — bread
  9. tear — to rip
  10. vault — a safe
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. tear — from crying
  17. key — for a lock
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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