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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · bass · press · rule · racket · fork

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. rule — government
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bass — low music
  6. press — a publisher
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rule — a law
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. press — to push

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