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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 120 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: deal · mouse · race · press · vault · hand

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. press — to push
  3. vault — a safe
  4. press — a publisher
  5. hand — in cards
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. race — a contest
  15. hand — help
  16. race — humankind
  17. press — newspapers
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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