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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. vault — a safe
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. press — to push
  7. kid — child
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. face — part of the head
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. date — the fruit
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. kid — to tease
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hand — help
  19. face — to confront
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. press — newspapers
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wound — an injury

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