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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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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: coach · pound · staff · swing · fine · vault · chair · toast

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pound — a weight
  5. staff — employees
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. staff — employees
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. swing — music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fine — all right
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. toast — bread
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. staff — a stick
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fine — high quality
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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