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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: hand · coach · key · vault · scale · row · track · mine

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. track — to keep track
  3. row — a line
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. scale — size or range
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mine — for digging
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — in music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. scale — in music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. key — the most important part
  18. hand — help
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. row — to paddle
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mine — belonging to me

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