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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pit — in a race
  4. press — to push
  5. last — final
  6. pit — a hole
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. object — a thing
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. last — to go on
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bound — certain
  17. object — to protest
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bound — tied together
  22. object — an aim
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. last — finally

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