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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 120 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: prune · deal · chair · vault · snap · press · key · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. prune — to trim
  5. chair — a leader
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to click
  10. cell — a phone
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cell — in biology
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. key — in music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. deal — to handle
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. key — for a lock

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