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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. fine — high quality
  3. track — to keep track
  4. foot — a measure
  5. season — of the year
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spell — a short time
  10. fine — all right
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. press — a publisher
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. press — to push
  15. season — in sport
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spell — letters
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a path
  20. spell — magic
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ball — a great time
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. track — a song

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