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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. roll — a list
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mate — to breed
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rock — a stone
  9. press — a publisher
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. rock — music
  13. press — to push
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. press — newspapers
  16. roll — a cake
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. prune — to trim
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. prune — the fruit

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