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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ball — a dance
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ball — a great time
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fall — to drop
  14. clip — a video
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. press — newspapers
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. press — to push
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fork — in a road
  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