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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cell — in biology
  4. press — newspapers
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chair — a leader
  7. row — a line
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. press — to push
  12. game — a match
  13. tube — a container
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cell — a phone
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. tube — the underground
  20. press — a publisher
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. vault — a safe
  24. chair — to sit on

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