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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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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 · race · pit · clip · bear · cap · vault · rule

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pit — in a race
  9. race — a contest
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. press — to push
  14. vault — a safe
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rule — a law
  17. race — humankind
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. race — the arms race
  21. clip — a video
  22. cap — a lid
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bear — the animal

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