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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. press — a publisher
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pop — to visit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. club — for golf
  14. tube — a container
  15. bat — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. club — a group
  19. capital — money
  20. tube — the underground
  21. vault — a safe
  22. press — to push
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bat — in an idiom

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