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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mug — a face
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. last — finally
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — final
  7. staff — employees
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. press — to push
  10. mug — to rob
  11. vault — a safe
  12. staff — a stick
  13. hand — in cards
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pit — in a race
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. press — a publisher
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. club — a group
  22. last — to go on
  23. mug — a cup
  24. hand — help

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