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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: leaves · press · net · fine · file · kid · vault · mark

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kid — to tease
  9. file — a tool
  10. kid — child
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. vault — a safe
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. file — a document
  15. fine — high quality
  16. file — a line of people
  17. net — in sport
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. net — for catching
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. net — after costs

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