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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: bear · vault · pit · chest · squash · shower · hand · coach

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. shower — rain
  3. hand — help
  4. pit — in a race
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. shower — to wash
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. hand — in cards
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bear — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chest — a box
  24. vault — a safe

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