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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: toast · tear · club · firm · coach · march · vault · hide

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. march — the month
  4. firm — decided
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. firm — steady
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — a company
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. tear — to rip
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. march — music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. toast — bread
  22. club — a group
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. coach — a trainer

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