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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: ball · pop · coach · calf · shower · staff · racket · vault

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. staff — a stick
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pop — soda
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. shower — rain
  7. vault — a safe
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. staff — employees
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — to wash
  17. staff — employees
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pop — to visit
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ball — a great time
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. calf — a young animal

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