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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: kid · prune · mouse · ruler · content · pitch · vault · press

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. prune — to trim
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. press — a publisher
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. press — to push
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. content — happy
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitch — completely
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. content — the amount

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