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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · vault · coach · pass · season · plane · bat · hand

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. vault — a safe
  3. hand — help
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bat — the animal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pass — a permit
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cell — a phone
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. season — of the year
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bat — for baseball

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