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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. game — wild animals
  3. press — newspapers
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — the earth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ground — crushed
  10. object — an aim
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. object — to protest
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. object — a thing
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. saw — the tool
  19. game — a match
  20. ground — a position
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. press — a publisher
  24. saw — the tool

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