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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · coach · vault · temple · wake · pit · roll · hand

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. roll — a cake
  3. scale — size or range
  4. hand — in cards
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — help
  15. scale — in music
  16. roll — a list
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. wake — a trail
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. scale — for weighing

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