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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. vault — a safe
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fine — all right
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. land — a country
  12. press — to push
  13. land — to come down
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. press — newspapers
  17. land — ground
  18. press — a publisher
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pop — to visit
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pop — music
  23. ball — a round shape
  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