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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. press — a publisher
  3. last — to go on
  4. press — to push
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. last — final
  8. board — to get on
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. last — finally
  13. mark — a trace
  14. press — newspapers
  15. can — a tin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. can — a tin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mark — a grade
  23. vault — a safe
  24. board — a committee

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