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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. file — a document
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. clip — for paper
  6. file — a tool
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. face — to confront
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. press — newspapers
  13. stand — to bear
  14. press — to push
  15. face — part of the head
  16. clip — a video
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. face — to point toward
  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