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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: vault · lean · present · mouse · cold · press · bat · game

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. press — newspapers
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. press — to push
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. present — a gift
  10. vault — a safe
  11. game — a match
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. present — the time now
  14. bat — the animal
  15. press — a publisher
  16. lean — thin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cold — not warm
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cold — an illness

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