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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. press — a publisher
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. game — wild animals
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. face — to point toward
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. face — to confront
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. press — to push
  19. game — a match
  20. face — part of the head
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ruler — a monarch

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