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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 116 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: firm · wind · coach · key · land · vault · row · court

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — steady
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. land — a country
  6. wind — moving air
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. court — of a king
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. row — a line
  11. court — for sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. court — of law
  15. row — to paddle
  16. land — ground
  17. key — the most important part
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. firm — decided
  20. key — in music
  21. vault — a safe
  22. land — to come down
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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