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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cell — a phone
  3. vault — a safe
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. kid — child
  9. press — a publisher
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. object — an aim
  14. face — to confront
  15. object — a thing
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. press — to push
  19. kid — to tease
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cap — of ice
  23. object — to protest
  24. fork — in a road

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