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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: hide · vault · capital · mate · bowl · court · press · hand

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. court — for sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. press — to push
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — money
  9. press — a publisher
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mate — a partner
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. capital — a city
  16. court — of law
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. court — of a king
  22. mate — a friend
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. press — newspapers

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