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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spring — the season
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kick — in football
  11. spring — of water
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. row — a line
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. vault — a safe
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. kick — a thrill

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