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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: kick · staff · vault · chair · coach · lash · sharp · plane

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. staff — a stick
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. chair — a leader
  7. kick — in football
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — clever
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. vault — a safe
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. kick — with a leg

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