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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: cue · vault · net · tear · file · staff · ground · coach

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — a position
  5. cue — a signal
  6. net — after costs
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. file — a document
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. vault — a safe
  17. ground — the earth
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. file — a line of people
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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