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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: ball · band · fine · last · vault · press · bay · foot

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. last — final
  3. press — to push
  4. fine — all right
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ball — a great time
  7. band — a ring
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. band — a music group
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. last — to go on
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fine — high quality
  23. last — finally
  24. foot — the bottom

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