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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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Word bank
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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 · scale · club · press · firm · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. vault — a safe
  3. press — a publisher
  4. club — for golf
  5. scale — size or range
  6. face — to confront
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. firm — steady
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. press — to push
  12. club — a group
  13. firm — decided
  14. face — part of the head
  15. scale — in music
  16. club — for dancing
  17. firm — a company
  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