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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: bat · race · press · vault · capital · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bat — the animal
  3. race — humankind
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bark — to shout
  10. press — a publisher
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. capital — money
  14. race — the arms race
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. race — a contest
  17. capital — a city
  18. vault — a safe

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