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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kid — child
  11. object — a thing
  12. press — to push
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. kid — to tease
  15. object — an aim
  16. rash — hasty
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. object — to protest
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. temple — a place of worship

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