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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: vault · coach · track · cap · clip · cue · rush · cold

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. clip — a video
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cap — of ice
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. track — a path
  11. cold — not warm
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cue — for pool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. rush — hurry
  24. clip — for paper

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