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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 120 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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468
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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. craft — boats
  3. cell — a phone
  4. craft — a skill
  5. capital — money
  6. press — newspapers
  7. fine — high quality
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. fine — all right
  14. kick — in football
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cell — in biology
  22. capital — a city
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. chair — a professorship

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