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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. row — to paddle
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pop — music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pop — to visit
  15. press — to push
  16. pop — soda
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. row — a line
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitcher — a jug

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