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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. net — after costs
  5. march — the month
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. net — in sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. march — music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. march — the month
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. vault — a safe
  14. net — for catching
  15. ground — a position
  16. wind — moving air
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ground — the earth
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — crushed
  22. press — a publisher
  23. squash — the sport
  24. press — to push

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