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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: mouse · stock · wound · press · pitch · race · vault · kid

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. press — to push
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — a contest
  8. vault — a safe
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. kid — child
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. race — humankind
  20. stock — shares
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stock — goods
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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