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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. press — to push
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. game — a match
  9. charge — a price
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. charge — electricity
  12. row — a line
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rule — a law
  15. club — a group
  16. charge — in control
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. row — to paddle
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rule — government
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. club — for golf
  23. game — wild animals
  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