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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 116 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: cabinet · fan · net · file · coach · vault · stick · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — after costs
  4. file — a tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — in sport
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. vault — a safe
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. net — for catching

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