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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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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: mate · can · chip · bat · wound · vault · rest · press

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. press — to push
  4. vault — a safe
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rest — a break
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bat — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — to be able to

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