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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: clip · coach · vault · calf · staff · jam · hand · rush

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. clip — a video
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. vault — a safe
  9. hand — help
  10. staff — a stick
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. clip — to cut
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. rush — hurry
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — employees
  24. jam — a tight spot

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