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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rush — hurry
  3. club — for golf
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. band — a ring
  7. club — a group
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — for dancing
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. band — a music group
  18. plane — a tool
  19. row — a line
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. press — to push
  22. row — to paddle
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. lie — an untruth

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