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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. spell — magic
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. kid — child
  7. lean — thin
  8. kid — to tease
  9. press — to push
  10. lean — to bend
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spell — a short time
  13. press — newspapers
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. calf — a young animal

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