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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 116 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: press · racket · firm · pop · vault · cap · current · game

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. firm — decided
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pop — to visit
  6. current — electric
  7. cap — of ice
  8. game — a match
  9. current — happening now
  10. press — to push
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. firm — steady
  17. press — a publisher
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. current — of water
  20. cap — a lid
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. vault — a safe
  23. firm — a company
  24. game — wild animals

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