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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. file — a tool
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. press — to push
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pop — music
  12. file — a document
  13. prune — to trim
  14. vault — a safe
  15. land — to come down
  16. pop — soda
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a line of people
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cap — a hat
  22. press — newspapers
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. coach — a trainer

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