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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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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: rash · snap · press · bay · coach · kid · vault · key

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rash — a series
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. kid — to tease
  7. key — the most important part
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. key — in music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. press — newspapers
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. key — for a lock
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. press — to push
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. snap — to click
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kid — child

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