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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. content — happy
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. drill — a practice
  7. root — the cause
  8. press — to push
  9. content — the amount
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. press — a publisher
  12. drill — the tool
  13. row — a line
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. drill — army training
  17. fine — all right
  18. stand — to bear
  19. press — newspapers
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. fine — high quality
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fine — a penalty

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