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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: row · vault · coach · bowl · season · bear · chip · file

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. season — of the year
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. row — to paddle
  8. vault — a safe
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. file — a tool
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a document
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. row — a line
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chip — to eat
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. season — in sport

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