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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 116 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: bark · stick · present · spell · kid · ball · vault · press

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. kid — child
  3. present — there
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spell — magic
  10. vault — a safe
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. present — the time now
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spell — letters
  15. press — to push
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kid — to tease
  18. spell — a short time
  19. present — a gift
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. press — a publisher
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ball — a dance

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