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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: pit · cold · mine · vault · coach · squash · bound · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bound — obliged
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pit — in a race
  14. vault — a safe
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bound — certain
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. squash — to crush
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mine — for digging

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