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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cell — in biology
  4. toast — bread
  5. press — to push
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. ground — the earth
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bound — certain
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. degree — an amount
  22. press — newspapers
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. degree — temperature

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