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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: vault · foot · wax · cold · kick · coach · date · court

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. court — of law
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kick — in football
  9. date — the fruit
  10. foot — a measure
  11. court — of a king
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cold — an illness
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. court — for sport
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cold — not warm
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. vault — a safe

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