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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. staff — a stick
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cap — a lid
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. court — of a king
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. press — a publisher
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — of law
  16. field — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. cap — of ice
  20. press — to push
  21. court — for sport
  22. chair — a leader
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cap — a hat

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