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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. press — newspapers
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. spring — a coil
  7. deal — to handle
  8. date — the fruit
  9. chest — a box
  10. clip — to cut
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. clip — a video
  14. spring — the season
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. spring — of water
  18. chest — of your body
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — for paper
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cell — a phone
  23. chest — of your body
  24. deal — an agreement

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