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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. ground — a position
  6. press — newspapers
  7. net — after costs
  8. stem — to come from
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. press — a publisher
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. scale — size or range
  18. net — in sport
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. vault — a safe
  23. net — for catching
  24. scale — in music

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