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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: pitcher · clip · vault · bat · squash · coach · saw · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — a video
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. clip — for paper
  8. saw — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. squash — the sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. squash — to crush
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. clip — to cut
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. vault — a safe
  24. saw — the tool

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