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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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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. lean — thin
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cell — a phone
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. press — newspapers
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. press — to push
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. vault — a safe

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