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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · saw · chair · vault · press · track · straw · march

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. vault — a safe
  3. track — a song
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. march — music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mine — for digging
  11. press — to push
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. track — a path
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. press — newspapers
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chair — a leader

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