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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 120 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: coach · ball · vault · rock · pit · mine · wind · current

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. current — electric
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ball — a great time
  10. rock — music
  11. current — of water
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pit — a hole
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. current — happening now
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pit — in a race

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