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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tube — the underground
  3. vault — a safe
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. net — in sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stand — to bear
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cell — a phone
  11. press — a publisher
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. net — for catching
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. net — after costs
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. press — to push
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stand — on your feet

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