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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pit — a hole
  3. swing — music
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tear — to rip
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. swing — in golf
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. press — a publisher
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. drill — a practice
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. band — a music group
  20. press — to push
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. drill — army training
  24. press — newspapers

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