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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bank — of a river
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bore — to tire
  7. press — newspapers
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. vault — a safe
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — in a road
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bank — for money
  22. press — to push
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fork — a garden tool

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