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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: vault · straw · press · key · mug · clip · kick · wound

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. clip — to cut
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. press — a publisher
  9. kick — in football
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. press — to push
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. clip — a video
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — newspapers
  16. mug — to rob
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. key — for a lock
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wound — an injury
  22. clip — for paper
  23. key — in music
  24. mug — a face

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