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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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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: press · face · coach · game · vault · chip · rest · march

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. 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. game — a match
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. game — wild animals
  5. press — newspapers
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. press — a publisher
  16. march — the month
  17. face — to confront
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. press — to push
  22. rest — what's left
  23. vault — a safe
  24. 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