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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.

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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: kick · hand · press · vault · stand · bass · kid · season

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. season — in sport
  3. kid — child
  4. press — to push
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bass — low music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. press — newspapers
  12. hand — in cards
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. season — of the year
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kick — in football
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bass — the fish
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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