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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. press — to push
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lie — to recline
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cell — a phone
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — in football
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — a publisher
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. kick — a thrill
  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