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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. hand — in cards
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pitch — completely
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. present — there
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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