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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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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: tear · track · wind · vault · swing · coach · chip · cap

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. 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. wind — to turn a key
  2. track — a path
  3. cap — a hat
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wind — moving air
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tear — to rip
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chip — for betting
  17. track — a song
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cap — of ice
  22. track — to keep track
  23. tear — from crying
  24. 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