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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. press — a publisher
  5. court — of law
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rash — hasty
  9. band — a music group
  10. press — to push
  11. object — a thing
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rash — a series
  17. band — a ring
  18. wake — a trail
  19. object — an aim
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mine — belonging to me

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