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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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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spring — a coil
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kid — child
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — a series
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rash — hasty
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spring — of water
  20. toast — bread
  21. spring — the season
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rash — on the skin
  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