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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: bat · track · vault · coach · press · dip · cap · sharp

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. track — a song
  4. press — a publisher
  5. track — a path
  6. dip — to sink
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cap — a hat
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. vault — a safe
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bat — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — clever
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cap — of ice
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. press — to push
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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