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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kid — child
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — to push
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kick — in football
  13. bass — the fish
  14. shower — rain
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bass — low music
  18. staff — employees
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. shower — to wash

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