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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: face · board · bulb · coach · cold · vault · club · date

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. club — for dancing
  7. board — to get on
  8. bulb — for light
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. club — for golf
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. board — a committee
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. cold — an illness
  19. club — a group
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. vault — a safe
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. face — part of the head

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