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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · rock · plane · fan · vault · press · bat · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bat — the animal
  6. content — happy
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. season — in sport
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. press — to push
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. content — the amount
  16. rock — music
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. vault — a safe
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. content — videos and posts

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