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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — of your body
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. net — after costs
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. press — a publisher
  9. track — a path
  10. net — in sport
  11. vault — a safe
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. press — to push
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. track — to keep track
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — for catching
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rush — hurry
  23. track — a song
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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