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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: staff · mug · vault · straw · press · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mug — a face
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mug — to rob
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mug — a cup
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. press — to push
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. press — newspapers
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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