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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: cell · spell · press · vault · march · snap · kid · rest

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. press — to push
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cell — a phone
  10. spell — magic
  11. kid — child
  12. march — the month
  13. press — newspapers
  14. march — the month
  15. snap — to click
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rest — a break
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. spell — a short time
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. march — music
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. kid — to tease

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