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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: last · vault · track · staff · fine · coach · cell · season

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. cell — in biology
  4. season — of the year
  5. fine — all right
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cell — a phone
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. track — to keep track
  12. last — final
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fine — high quality
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. vault — a safe
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — finally
  22. season — in sport
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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