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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. face — part of the head
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. ball — a dance
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. face — to point toward
  9. ball — a great time
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. press — to push
  12. cell — a phone
  13. clip — for paper
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. row — to paddle
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. clip — to cut
  18. cell — in biology
  19. press — a publisher
  20. vault — a safe
  21. face — to confront
  22. row — a line
  23. clip — a video
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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