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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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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: can · mate · cell · pound · net · coach · vault · straw

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. can — a tin
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cell — a phone
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pound — a weight
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mate — a friend
  13. net — in sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mate — to breed
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. can — a tin
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. can — to be able to
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  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