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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · vault · bat · straw · land · shower · mouse · key

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. shower — to wash
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. vault — a safe
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. shower — rain
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. key — the most important part
  17. land — to come down
  18. key — in music
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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