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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: scale · pit · snap · roll · land · vault · press · cap

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. scale — in music
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cap — a lid
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. snap — to click
  7. pit — a hole
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. roll — a cake
  10. press — a publisher
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. land — ground
  16. cap — of ice
  17. land — a country
  18. cap — a hat
  19. scale — size or range
  20. press — to push
  21. roll — a list
  22. press — newspapers
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pit — in a race

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