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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: staff · vault · rush · toast · hand · coach · mouse · cap

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. hand — help
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. staff — a stick
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. hand — in cards
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. staff — employees
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cap — of ice
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. toast — bread

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