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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: track · ball · mate · vault · drill · coach · rush · mine

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — a path
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mate — a partner
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. drill — army training
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. drill — the tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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