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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: chair · vault · rush · rock · coach · can · file · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. can — a tin
  6. rock — music
  7. court — for sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rock — a stone
  12. file — a document
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. can — a tin
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. file — a tool
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rush — hurry
  21. court — of a king
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rush — a thrill

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