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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. foot — a measure
  5. race — a contest
  6. press — to push
  7. season — in sport
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. race — the arms race
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. race — humankind
  16. land — to come down
  17. dip — to sink
  18. vault — a safe
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. land — ground
  22. press — newspapers
  23. land — a country
  24. press — a publisher

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