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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: snap · bay · press · chest · vault · rush · staff · cap

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — hurry
  3. press — to push
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chest — a box
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. press — a publisher
  12. chest — of your body
  13. vault — a safe
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. snap — to click
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. press — newspapers

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