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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bat — the animal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. press — to push
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bear — the animal
  24. press — newspapers

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