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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. press — a publisher
  5. lie — to recline
  6. press — newspapers
  7. pitch — completely
  8. vault — a safe
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. press — to push
  11. fall — the season
  12. present — the time now
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. board — to get on
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. present — there
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. prune — to trim
  23. board — a committee
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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