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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: cell · row · lash · vault · game · press

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cell — a phone
  4. row — a line
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. row — to paddle
  7. vault — a safe
  8. press — to push
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. game — a match
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — in biology
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. press — newspapers

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