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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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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: vault · press · cabinet · kid · wound · pitch · bay · track

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wound — an injury
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. track — a path
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — to push
  20. kid — child
  21. track — a song
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pitch — completely

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