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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fall — to drop
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. vault — a safe
  9. press — to push
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — for sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. field — a subject
  14. rule — a law
  15. cap — a lid
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. kick — in football
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fall — the season
  20. field — farmland
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rule — government
  24. lie — to recline

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