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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bass — low music
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bass — the fish
  5. press — to push
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. last — to go on
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. vault — a safe
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. press — newspapers
  16. last — finally
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. nail — on a finger

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