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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. staff — employees
  2. vault — a safe
  3. field — farmland
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. press — newspapers
  14. field — for sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. press — to push
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. field — a subject
  23. date — on the calendar
  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