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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. net — for catching
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bank — of a river
  5. press — to push
  6. net — after costs
  7. bank — for money
  8. bat — the animal
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pop — music
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pop — soda
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. net — in sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bank — for money
  23. cold — not warm
  24. vault — a safe

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