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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. press — newspapers
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. firm — decided
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pit — in a race
  9. field — for sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. vault — a safe
  12. press — to push
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cold — not warm
  17. season — in sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. cold — an illness
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. firm — steady
  22. field — farmland
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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