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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. court — for sport
  4. scale — size or range
  5. press — a publisher
  6. court — of law
  7. present — the time now
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. press — newspapers
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. press — to push
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. present — a gift
  15. vault — a safe
  16. scale — in music
  17. shower — rain
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. court — of a king
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. present — there
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kid — child

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