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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. season — of the year
  6. cold — an illness
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cold — not warm
  14. file — a document
  15. tube — a container
  16. press — newspapers
  17. file — a tool
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. season — in sport
  22. cell — a phone
  23. season — to add flavour
  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