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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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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: tear · vault · dip · bass · charge · ball · press · cap

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cap — of ice
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bass — low music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. press — a publisher
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cap — a hat
  15. charge — a price
  16. dip — to sink
  17. vault — a safe
  18. press — to push
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ball — a great time
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cap — a lid
  24. ball — a round shape

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