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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. object — a thing
  4. press — to push
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. cold — not warm
  8. net — after costs
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. race — humankind
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. press — a publisher
  21. race — a contest
  22. vault — a safe
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cold — an illness

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