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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. press — to push
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. scale — in music
  10. staff — employees
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. press — a publisher
  13. staff — a stick
  14. press — newspapers
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. row — a line
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. staff — employees
  24. row — a quarrel

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