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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 124 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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468
Word bank
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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. tube — a container
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. press — to push
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. snap — to click
  10. press — newspapers
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. fork — in a road
  13. file — a line of people
  14. swing — in golf
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. ball — a dance
  17. file — a document
  18. tube — the underground
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. file — a tool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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