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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: dip · cell · mark · vault · fan · saw · coach · kid

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. vault — a safe
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cell — a phone
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cell — in biology
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. saw — the tool
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mark — a grade
  21. kid — to tease
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. saw — the tool

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