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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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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: craft · field · suit · vault · straw · kick · coach · snap

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. suit — in cards
  3. vault — a safe
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. suit — to fit
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. field — for sport
  13. suit — clothes
  14. craft — boats
  15. kick — in football
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. craft — a skill
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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