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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. press — a publisher
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. press — to push
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. scale — size or range
  10. press — newspapers
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. snap — to click
  15. scale — in music
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cap — a hat
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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