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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 116 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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. press — to push
  7. saw — the tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. tube — a container
  10. press — a publisher
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. press — newspapers
  18. vault — a safe
  19. staff — employees
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. staff — employees
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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