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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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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: chair · stick · rest · coach · track · bulb · field · vault

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. field — farmland
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. track — a path
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rest — a break
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. track — a song
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bulb — for light
  22. track — to keep track
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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