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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. root — of a plant
  3. track — a path
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. track — to keep track
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. press — to push
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. press — newspapers
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. track — a song
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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