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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. club — for golf
  3. vault — a safe
  4. press — a publisher
  5. face — part of the head
  6. present — the time now
  7. kid — child
  8. face — to point toward
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. present — there
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. present — a gift
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. press — to push
  21. face — to confront
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pass — to spend time

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