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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. press — newspapers
  3. snap — to click
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fall — to drop
  8. net — in sport
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. press — a publisher
  13. spring — the season
  14. net — for catching
  15. fall — to drop
  16. press — to push
  17. fall — the season
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — of water
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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