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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. net — after costs
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rush — hurry
  10. degree — from a university
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. degree — temperature
  13. press — newspapers
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. degree — an amount
  17. deal — to handle
  18. vault — a safe
  19. net — for catching
  20. press — to push
  21. kid — child
  22. net — in sport
  23. press — a publisher
  24. deal — a big deal

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