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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rash — hasty
  7. press — newspapers
  8. drill — army training
  9. rash — a series
  10. drill — a practice
  11. vault — a safe
  12. land — to come down
  13. press — a publisher
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. land — ground
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cold — not warm
  21. press — to push
  22. cold — an illness
  23. land — a country
  24. scale — in music

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