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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
468
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: spell · sharp · chest · season · coach · press · vault · pit

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. spell — letters
  4. press — to push
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. season — in sport
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chest — a box
  11. pit — a hole
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. season — of the year
  14. chest — of your body
  15. vault — a safe
  16. press — a publisher
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. spell — magic
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spell — a short time
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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