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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. roll — a cake
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bore — to drill
  5. press — to push
  6. bore — to tire
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. roll — a list
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. charge — a price
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. tube — a container
  16. charge — electricity
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bat — the animal
  19. charge — in control
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. vault — a safe
  23. tube — the underground
  24. press — a publisher

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