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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a tool
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. clip — to cut
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. root — the cause
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. clip — a video
  16. press — to push
  17. vault — a safe
  18. press — a publisher
  19. file — a line of people
  20. root — of a word
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — for paper
  23. press — newspapers
  24. file — a document

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