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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · bowl · current · net · press · cold · coach · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. scale — in music
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. current — electric
  9. net — in sport
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cold — an illness
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. current — of water
  16. cold — not warm
  17. press — to push
  18. current — happening now
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. net — after costs
  22. press — a publisher
  23. scale — size or range
  24. press — newspapers

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