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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. current — happening now
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. current — electric
  8. rock — music
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. press — to push
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fall — the season
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. current — of water
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fall — to drop
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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