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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: shower · deal · coach · cell · bank · season · chair · vault

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. season — in sport
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bank — for money
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. season — of the year
  10. bank — of a river
  11. shower — to wash
  12. deal — to handle
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. shower — rain
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bank — for money
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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