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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: mouse · cold · race · press · vault · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. press — newspapers
  12. board — to get on
  13. race — a contest
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. race — humankind
  18. cold — not warm

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