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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: sharp · vault · foot · coach · bat · ball · rush · face

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rush — hurry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — part of the head
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. vault — a safe
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. foot — a measure
  19. face — to confront
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bat — for baseball

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