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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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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: board · bulb · rule · press · clip · pitch · vault · bat

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rule — a law
  10. bat — the animal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. clip — a video
  14. press — to push
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. board — to get on
  17. rule — government
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. press — newspapers
  21. board — a committee
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bat — for baseball

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