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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bark — to shout
  6. kid — to tease
  7. vault — a safe
  8. kid — child
  9. press — newspapers
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. press — to push
  18. chair — a leader
  19. suit — in cards
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. degree — an amount

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