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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: rest · board · vault · drill · firm · file · net · press

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. firm — steady
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a line of people
  9. net — in sport
  10. press — a publisher
  11. firm — decided
  12. press — to push
  13. board — a committee
  14. net — after costs
  15. vault — a safe
  16. drill — a practice
  17. press — newspapers
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. firm — a company
  21. drill — army training
  22. net — for catching
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. drill — the tool

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