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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.

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: sharp · jam · press · vault · face · stem · season · race

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. race — humankind
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. season — in sport
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. face — to point toward
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. vault — a safe
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. race — a contest
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. face — part of the head
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. season — of the year
  17. stem — to come from
  18. sharp — clever
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. race — the arms race
  21. press — a publisher
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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