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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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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: roll · wound · coach · cabinet · vault · mouse · court · stick

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. court — of a king
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. roll — a list
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — a safe
  14. roll — a cake
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. court — of law
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. court — for sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. coach — a trainer

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